Okay, here is round two in the many recipes I've been trying lately! These are all new to us since the beginning of the year, although some have been made many times already!
First of all, I LOVE love LOVE the recipes (and stories) at The Pioneer Woman. Ree just won "best blog of the year" at the bloggies in Houston, if that's any indication! The following are some of the many recipes you'll find on her site. I love that she has step-by-step tutorials, showing everything as she goes along....although with our dial up, I rarely can see the photos :(
Apricot Bars -- this are FABULOUS! And made with lots of oats, so they're healthy... http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/05/apricot-bars-are-they-for-breakfastor-dessert/
Crash Hot Potatoes -- yes, I've written about these before but this is one of those recipes I'll be making often! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/
Dump Cake -- I may have written on this before, too, but it's something my 4 and 5 year old can do by themselves with very little supervision..... http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/04/dump-cake-a-potluckers-paradise/
Egg-in-a-hole -- a couple years ago, one of my kids' babysitters was all excited that she had "egg-in-a-hole" for breakfast. She tried explaining it to me and finally gave up. I was excited to see it on PW's website...and it is pretty easy to make, another breakfast favorite of ours! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/07/egg-in-a-hole-see-alternate-names-below/
Oatmeal crispies -- This was another snack recipe we tried and LOVE. You can make lots of this dough ahead of time and freeze it. Since it's something that my kids, again, can do with little supervision, we'll be making this when I need to find something to occupy them! DELISH! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/09/marlboro_mans_favorite_cookies_oatmeal_crispies/
Onion strings -- oh YEAH! If you follow PW's instructions step-by-step, you won't have any of the side affects onions sometimes cause....But seriously, these are yummy, addictive, and easy to make. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/03/onion-strings-oh-yeah-baby/
PW's No-Knead Dinner rolls -- these are quick, simple, and very yummy! They make about 48 rolls (in muffin pans), so I did 1/4 batch.... http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/11/pw_dinner_rolls_-_no_kneading_required/
Back in January I did several guest postings for Lindsey over at Cafe Johnsonia. She has a great selection of recipes, and following are a few of them:
Bread or rolls -- these are very good for home-made hamburger buns or just simply dinner rolls. http://cafejohnsonia.blogspot.com/2008/03/homemade-buns-or-rolls.html
Caramel-topped Flan -- ooohhhh!!! SOOOOO good! However, you are supposed to cook the caramel topping until it is a light caramel color then for an additional 5 minutes. I found that was too long (and I didn't even go a full three minutes) -- it had a bit of a burnt taste. I'd go just until the caramel color comes next time....and there will be a next time! http://cafejohnsonia.blogspot.com/2008/03/tuesdays-with-dorie-caramel-topped-flan.html
Cream-filled strawberries -- these were a huge hit when we had my brother- and sister-in-law and family over. They also used the extra cream filling on the palacinta (see previous post for recipe) with great results! These'll be even better when I can use fresh Carter's strawberries! http://cafejohnsonia.blogspot.com/2009/01/valentines-treats-cream-filled.html
Crescent Rolls -- I remember my aunt making homemade crescent rolls and all the painstaking work that went into them. Wasn't sure I wanted to tackle these, but thought...why not? This is a multi-day recipe (mainly for chilling time), but well-worth it! They don't make a very flaky buttery crescent roll, but they were good enough where my father-in-law had THREE at one sitting! That's saying alot, for those of you that know him! http://cafejohnsonia.blogspot.com/2006/11/crescent-rolls-makes-16-rolls-dough-cup.html
Rosemary Balsamic chicken -- if I've not written about this before (and I think I have), I don't know why not! This is something I'll make every few weeks, varying the herbs and spices, but enjoying it every time!! http://cafejohnsonia.blogspot.com/2006/09/rosemary-balsamic-chicken.html
Sour Cream Cherry Muffins with pecan struesel -- The recipe says it makes a dozen muffins; it made 15 very LARGE muffins ... which was a good thing since they are so good! http://cafejohnsonia.blogspot.com/2009/01/sour-cream-cherry-muffins-with-pecan.html
Domestication in Progress is another blog that I found with great recipes! Here are a few:
Tortellini Soup -- this is quick and easy to make, very delicious! We've had this a few times already and will again soon! http://domesticationinprogress.blogspot.com/2007/08/tortellini-soup.html
Waffles -- I had to laugh at how quick and easy these directions were...but these waffles are GREAT!!! Definitely something I'll be making again! http://domesticationinprogress.blogspot.com/2008/05/waffles.html
Nutty Banana Bread -- I made this today and it's definitely a hit! There are two recipes on this link, both are wonderful (I made the second recipe several weeks ago) http://domesticationinprogress.blogspot.com/2007/06/banana-bread_08.html
Of course, Marie at Makes and Takes has some yummy recipes, too, and one that I make often (and I believe wrote about before) is her delicious rosemary peasant bread. http://www.makeandtakes.com/rosemary-peasant-bread -- please note: most of us are what she refers to as "in the south" as in elevation. Do add the extra flour!
And somewhere, SOMEWHERE! are the recipes for parmesean-herb pan biscuits as well as banana sour cream muffins...I just can't find them online right now! I'll keep looking and post them when I do...because you've gotta try them!
I've also been enjoying my new Better Homes Cook Book, an "old" cookbook, but new to me! Found a great sloppy joe recipe as well as the herb-roasted chicken I made the other night! Not only that, I threw together a great stew the other day when I got a three hour notice to make lunch for ten workers at church! No problem...if you have time to can during the summer! I browned a pound of Carter's ground beef, added some Watkins beef soup base, a quart each of Carter's carrots, Carter's green beans, Carter's tomatoes, a pint of Carter's peas, and a bag of Carter's frozen sweet corn. Added some pearled barley about 20 minutes before serving, and voila! Delicious lunch!
But...my trying new recipes isn't over yet. I still have a huge stack to go through, includng steak bites, banana-chocolate-chunk cookies, nutmeg struesel muffins, rootbeer cookies, pasta carbonara, and more....as I test, I'll tell!
And, when I get a chance to download some photos, I'll show you some of the many green things we ate yesterday!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
In the Kitchen
I've been trying lots of new recipes lately...which in turn means I've been inviting relatives to join us for supper (hey, if something doesn't taste good, I'd much rather have less of it leftover than lots of it, ya know?). But...there've been only rave reviews! Well, the two dishes I made that I won't be making again were for our family only....thankfully! (and not intentionally)
So, here are some of the recipes I've tried, along with the links where to find them (or the actual recipe if it isn't online), and our thoughts on them! Enjoy....
For our last Fun, Food, and Fellowship, I was supposed to bring dessert...so I thawed out some delicious Carter's strawberries and whipped up some shortcakes. We sell a great mix at our market, so I made a batch of those, then I tried this recipe that has had me salivating for awhile. Wow, were those wiped out QUICK! This is definitely a keeper!
Chocolate Shortcake (from some recipe collection card that came in the mail trying to get me to sign up....which I didn't, but definitely not because of this recipe!)
2 cups baking mix (I used bisquick low fat)
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa (I used Watkins, of course!)
1/4 tsp nutmeg (again, Watkins)
3/4 cup (6 oz) low fat vanilla yogurt
3 tbs honey (I used local honey, which I'm sure made these better!)
2 tbs vegetable oil (I used Watkins grapeseed...much healthier!)
Combine baking mix, coco, and nutmeg, mixing well. Stir in yogurt, honey, and oil until a soft dough forms. Drop by large spoonsfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet 1" apart. Bake at 425 about 15 minutes and cool for 20 minutes. Makes 6.
I did a double recipe of these and know I'll be making them all during strawberry season, probably a triple recipe at a time (yes, for our family alone....)
****************************************************************
Irish Soda Bread
I found this recipe as I was cleaning through some things a couple weeks ago. It's one I made often years ago before I lost the recipe....glad I found it again! A former boss gave me this recipe, no idea where he got it from!
6 c bread flour
1 tbs baking soda
1 tbs baking powder
3 tbs corn starch
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2.5 c buttermilk
1/2 cup currents (although raisin will do in a pinch)
Add dry ingredients and currents together then pour buttermilk all at once, stirring just until a soft dough is formed. Knead for a minute or two. Divide into two portions and shape into a round loaf. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to make the sign of the Cross on the top of each (this releases the steam while baking but also has religious significance in many Irish homes...of which we are not, Irish, that is, although Tony thinks there is a small possibility somewhere in his heritage).
Yummy! (although Susanna picked out all her raisins...)
********************************************************
Whole Wheat Herbed Bread
(made this before, it is DELICIOUS, and I have another loaf in the bread maker as I type...) Again, I have no idea where I got this recipe; it's jotted down on a scratch paper!
1 cup water
2 Tbs olive oil (again, I used Watkins grapeseed oil...healthier!)
1 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs fresh OR 1 tsp dried rosemary (yep, Watkins is best!)
1 tbs fresh OR 1 tsp dried sage (ditto from above)
3 cups whole wheat flour (I use stone ground and found pure whole wheat is quite heavy in this bread, so I do half whole wheat and half white)
2 tsp yeast
Place ingredients in bread machine in the order listed; use 1.5# loaf, whole wheat setting.
****************************************************************
Palachinta (okay, that's the phonic spelling, I don't know the true Hungarian spelling...but these are also known as blintzes, crepes, think pancakes, etc.) I got this recipe from my first "real" cookbook -- Our Favorite Recipes -- which I think is also known as The Mansfield Cookbook" (one of those group-made spiral bound ones)
This isn't a new recipe for us; I make it quite often, much to my kids' delight! I did make these the other night when my brother- and sister-in-law and their family were over, just in case the other new recipes I was trying would fail...but they didn't, and we all were extremely stuffed!
2 eggs
2 tbs vegetable oil (yeah, the grapeseed....)
1 cup milk
3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
This is the original recipe; however, I also add 1 tbs sugar to mine while using 2/3 cup flour instead of 3/4 cup. The sugar browns them nicely while the batter is thinner. Oh, I also add a dash of Watkins vanilla.....
Beat all ingredents together until very smooth (my kitchen-aid works GREAT...although my kitchen-aid currently isn't working at all...boohoo!) and refrigerate at least half an hour (yeah, I never do that.....we're too eager for the palachintas!)
Heat a 7" non-stick skillet to very hot (then turn down heat), then pour 1/2 soup ladle of mixture in the skillet, turning to cover the bottom of the skillet. Cook for a minute or two before flipping over and lightly browning the second side, too. I've found that by heating the skillet very hot initially, I get great results cooking them.
cover one side with your choice of jam or jelly or cinnamon sugar, then roll up like a tortilla. Enjoy! My favorite filling USED to be cinnamon sugar, but my Hungarian grandma does a mixture of brown sugar and finely chopped walnuts that is DELICIOUS! Another favorite filling is 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup cream cheese, 1/4 cup powdered sugar blended together very well, then spread on each.
Watch out for little hands...these disappear faster than they can be made!
***********************************************************************
I think I've shared before that Sunday evenings are snack night in our house. Our big meal of the day is lunch time. This past Sunday, I made these yummy treats (all of Liz's postings on chocolate and peanut butter made me really crave something similar!).
Peanut Butter Bars (again, no idea where I got this recipe written on scratch paper!)
1 c melted butter or margerine
4 c peanut butter (chunky or smooth, your choice!)
5 c powdered sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla (only Watkins will do!)
Blend together well; stir in 1 package dark chocolate chips. Press into cookie sheet. Cut and serve.
This makes ALOT. I made only half batch and put it in a 9x9 pan. Even then, they were pretty thick. Next time I'd do half a batch in a 9x13. They are VERY good though!
Wow, I have alot here already....I'm gonna post this and work on a second email that has the recipe links to other sites....do try some or all of these. They got GREAT reviews at our house!!!
Wanna know where to get great Watkins products? Check out my Watkins website at www.watkinsonline.com/lindasuecarter
So, here are some of the recipes I've tried, along with the links where to find them (or the actual recipe if it isn't online), and our thoughts on them! Enjoy....
For our last Fun, Food, and Fellowship, I was supposed to bring dessert...so I thawed out some delicious Carter's strawberries and whipped up some shortcakes. We sell a great mix at our market, so I made a batch of those, then I tried this recipe that has had me salivating for awhile. Wow, were those wiped out QUICK! This is definitely a keeper!
Chocolate Shortcake (from some recipe collection card that came in the mail trying to get me to sign up....which I didn't, but definitely not because of this recipe!)
2 cups baking mix (I used bisquick low fat)
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa (I used Watkins, of course!)
1/4 tsp nutmeg (again, Watkins)
3/4 cup (6 oz) low fat vanilla yogurt
3 tbs honey (I used local honey, which I'm sure made these better!)
2 tbs vegetable oil (I used Watkins grapeseed...much healthier!)
Combine baking mix, coco, and nutmeg, mixing well. Stir in yogurt, honey, and oil until a soft dough forms. Drop by large spoonsfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet 1" apart. Bake at 425 about 15 minutes and cool for 20 minutes. Makes 6.
I did a double recipe of these and know I'll be making them all during strawberry season, probably a triple recipe at a time (yes, for our family alone....)
****************************************************************
Irish Soda Bread
I found this recipe as I was cleaning through some things a couple weeks ago. It's one I made often years ago before I lost the recipe....glad I found it again! A former boss gave me this recipe, no idea where he got it from!
6 c bread flour
1 tbs baking soda
1 tbs baking powder
3 tbs corn starch
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2.5 c buttermilk
1/2 cup currents (although raisin will do in a pinch)
Add dry ingredients and currents together then pour buttermilk all at once, stirring just until a soft dough is formed. Knead for a minute or two. Divide into two portions and shape into a round loaf. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to make the sign of the Cross on the top of each (this releases the steam while baking but also has religious significance in many Irish homes...of which we are not, Irish, that is, although Tony thinks there is a small possibility somewhere in his heritage).
Yummy! (although Susanna picked out all her raisins...)
********************************************************
Whole Wheat Herbed Bread
(made this before, it is DELICIOUS, and I have another loaf in the bread maker as I type...) Again, I have no idea where I got this recipe; it's jotted down on a scratch paper!
1 cup water
2 Tbs olive oil (again, I used Watkins grapeseed oil...healthier!)
1 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs fresh OR 1 tsp dried rosemary (yep, Watkins is best!)
1 tbs fresh OR 1 tsp dried sage (ditto from above)
3 cups whole wheat flour (I use stone ground and found pure whole wheat is quite heavy in this bread, so I do half whole wheat and half white)
2 tsp yeast
Place ingredients in bread machine in the order listed; use 1.5# loaf, whole wheat setting.
****************************************************************
Palachinta (okay, that's the phonic spelling, I don't know the true Hungarian spelling...but these are also known as blintzes, crepes, think pancakes, etc.) I got this recipe from my first "real" cookbook -- Our Favorite Recipes -- which I think is also known as The Mansfield Cookbook" (one of those group-made spiral bound ones)
This isn't a new recipe for us; I make it quite often, much to my kids' delight! I did make these the other night when my brother- and sister-in-law and their family were over, just in case the other new recipes I was trying would fail...but they didn't, and we all were extremely stuffed!
2 eggs
2 tbs vegetable oil (yeah, the grapeseed....)
1 cup milk
3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
This is the original recipe; however, I also add 1 tbs sugar to mine while using 2/3 cup flour instead of 3/4 cup. The sugar browns them nicely while the batter is thinner. Oh, I also add a dash of Watkins vanilla.....
Beat all ingredents together until very smooth (my kitchen-aid works GREAT...although my kitchen-aid currently isn't working at all...boohoo!) and refrigerate at least half an hour (yeah, I never do that.....we're too eager for the palachintas!)
Heat a 7" non-stick skillet to very hot (then turn down heat), then pour 1/2 soup ladle of mixture in the skillet, turning to cover the bottom of the skillet. Cook for a minute or two before flipping over and lightly browning the second side, too. I've found that by heating the skillet very hot initially, I get great results cooking them.
cover one side with your choice of jam or jelly or cinnamon sugar, then roll up like a tortilla. Enjoy! My favorite filling USED to be cinnamon sugar, but my Hungarian grandma does a mixture of brown sugar and finely chopped walnuts that is DELICIOUS! Another favorite filling is 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup cream cheese, 1/4 cup powdered sugar blended together very well, then spread on each.
Watch out for little hands...these disappear faster than they can be made!
***********************************************************************
I think I've shared before that Sunday evenings are snack night in our house. Our big meal of the day is lunch time. This past Sunday, I made these yummy treats (all of Liz's postings on chocolate and peanut butter made me really crave something similar!).
Peanut Butter Bars (again, no idea where I got this recipe written on scratch paper!)
1 c melted butter or margerine
4 c peanut butter (chunky or smooth, your choice!)
5 c powdered sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla (only Watkins will do!)
Blend together well; stir in 1 package dark chocolate chips. Press into cookie sheet. Cut and serve.
This makes ALOT. I made only half batch and put it in a 9x9 pan. Even then, they were pretty thick. Next time I'd do half a batch in a 9x13. They are VERY good though!
Wow, I have alot here already....I'm gonna post this and work on a second email that has the recipe links to other sites....do try some or all of these. They got GREAT reviews at our house!!!
Wanna know where to get great Watkins products? Check out my Watkins website at www.watkinsonline.com/lindasuecarter
Monday, March 16, 2009
Six Years Ago....
Then.....It's been six years now since I made Minnesota my home....and it seems so much longer (in a good way) yet like just yesterday! Minnesota has been an adventure -- from frigid winters to some extremely hot summers and everything in between (including a blizzard in May and summer temps in October); from blizzards to wild thunder storms to tornadoes to beautiful sunshiny days; from not knowing hardly anyone to having an abundance of wonderful friends of all ages; from being a single working woman to being a wife...and a mother of two precious preschoolers.
It's funny; you never know where God will take you in life (if you're willing to go where He leads). I NEVER expected to be here in Minnesota; actually, I never expected to even VISIT Minnesota! But....I am so thankful that Tony and I met, that I ended up here in Minnesota with him. Just think....I could've ended up living in a state where Arnold Schwartzenager is governor...instead of living in a state where we have the possibility of having Al Franken as senator! Okay, maybe Minnesota does have its downsides....
Although this was in one of my earliest posts, I thought I'd share again about our trip out and some of the first things that happened after moving here.
Our send-off crowd...little did I know that Lori, in the brown, would surprise me and show up at my wedding!
Well, the trip from California to Minnesota was not uneventful, but praise God we had some great answers to prayer! We got a later start than hoped for, but in the end it turned out well. My former church, Calvary Life Fellowship, had a great send off for us. Pastor Luke had a wonderful message about letting go and freely leaving. This was after the Sunday School kids and I led praise & worship. After the sermon, we had a huge spread, a pre-wedding reception, complete with a wedding cake that was a gift from Jennifer Sanders, a dear friend of mine. We took the top layer back with us, but it didn't last too long! Several other friends of mine also came to church that day for a final farewell....fun and nice to see them, but sad to say goodbye. Before lunch was served, I'd ran out to the car for something and noticed SOMEONE had tied cans to the bottom of our car and Penske rental truck (those same cans just happened to be sitting on Luke & Mandy's kitchen counter the day before....). When I went back in, I whispered to Tony to cut the strings, which he did -- artfully hanging the strings so no one would be the wiser. Little did we know.... I don't know if someone saw him or if one of the strings fell, but the strings were retied before we took off..... (Looking back now, six years later, I'm still amazed at the send off we had. I very much miss my friends back at Calvary Life, and appreciate even more the love they shared with us.)
Tony and me with our first wedding cake at Calvary Life Fellowship
We had a great start. Little traffic, beautiful weather, great company. LaMae James, a dear lady from Park Rapids, flew out to California to spend a few days with her son that lives close to where I lived. She joined us on the trip back to help with driving. Well, about three hours into our travels, we came to a grinding halt along I-10 East. There had been a terrible accident on the westbound side several miles up and both sides of the freeway were temporarily closed while they brought in medivac helicopters. We didn't know what the hold up was for almost an hour though. We figure we lost about 2-3 hours of travel time because of the accident, but we did find out later that -- although two full tour buses crashed and several severe injuries occurred, thankfully nobody died. We ended up stopping for the night about an hour past the Utah border. (Again, looking back now -- LaMae's son and his wife now live here. And I cannot even begin to imagine traffic that we faced, even without the accident we saw.)
The next day was uneventful, although during the short time that I took over driving the fully-loaded truck, we had some pretty strong winds on a small state highway in Gillette, Wyoming...it felt like I was going to end up tilted over a few times, but thankfully the winds died down. We stayed in Wyoming that night and got a good start the next morning. After making it through the rest of the mountains, we decided to take a small interstate (85) that would cut off several hours from our travels. It goes from the bottom of South Dakota up to I-94 which would take us home. I don't know if any of you are familiar with route 85, but after going through the small town of Belle Fourche, there is literally nothing for 71 miles until you get to a small town called Buffalo...then literally nothing again for another 45 miles until you get to Bowman...after that it's only 32 miles until the next small town, and a short 26 miles until reaching I-94. Well, I shouldn't say "literally nothing." There are plenty of antelope in the fields along the two-lane highway...and about 40-some miles north of Belle Fourche, there is a small convenience store called Crow Buttes...it has a couple tables for hungry travelers, some souvenirs, and a gas pump. (and seriously, folks, that's all that there was....no homes to see, no exits, no side roads, nothing...)
Why am I telling you all this? Well, about six miles past Crow Buttes, Tony veered off the road. Initially, LaMae and I thought he was pulling over to see the herd of antelope...until I saw the front left tire rotating diagonally. We're still not sure what the problem was, perhaps the tie rod or the axle, but that was when a bit of panic set in...what in the world were we going to do? I don't know how many saw our truck before we left, but that thing was FULLY loaded! We had horrible thoughts about having to unload and reload into another truck, and no one knows better than Tony, Ted Bultsma, James Hansen, and Jerome Foster Sr. that THAT possibility was close to impossible. I'm still not sure how they got everything into the truck in the first place! Luke and Mandy also had the front completely loaded down with wedding flowers and my wedding dress...there was just enough room for Tony and a small cooler in the cab. After thanking God that Tony was able to pull over okay, LaMae and I set out in the car to find a phone. (I didn't have a cell phone then, and even if I did, there was no way we'd get service out there!) We drove back to Crow Butte and called Penske. After explaining to the man on the phone what the problem was (oh yeah, did I mention that Saturday after we loaded the truck, James and Tony noticed that same front tire wasn't round? It was kind of square. We took it back to the place where we picked up the truck and asked them to change the tire. The guy told us "oh, it's okay; that's just because the alignment is off...you'll make it there with no problem. However, you can always go to the Penske service station and see what they think." We opted to do that; the service station opted to change the tire; we thought that was the end of that....were we WRONG!), I was glad when he told me "we found someone to tow you." I asked, "to Belle Fourche? Buffalo? Bismarck? Tow to where?" wondering, what will happen then? I was stunned when the reply was "all the way to Park Rapids." Wow! That was about 650 miles! No worries about transferring items; we didn't have to pay for gas in the truck for the remainder of the trip, and the best thing....we didn't need to return the truck! We were going to have to return it to Minneapolis, about a 3.5 hour trip each way. Praise God! No, actually the best thing was that Tony and I finally got to ride together :) We did, however, have to wait for just over six hours for the tow truck to arrive...but I wasn't about to complain about that. After finally getting on the road around 6:00, we ran into a blinding snow storm. There wasn't alot of snow, but it was whirling quite severely and by the time we reached I-94, it was next to impossible to see while driving...and when someone would pass, we were blinded for almost a minute or more until the snow settled a bit. We stopped that night in Bismarck while the tow truck continued home. The next day we made it to Park Rapids without further incident and were warmly welcomed by Tony's parents.
Within the next couple weeks, we got things unpacked and started welcoming visitors. Tony's sister and her family ended up coming home unexpectedly from Indonesia. Because she is close to her due date, they weren't expecting to be able to travel home for the wedding. However, with the war starting, their team leader thought it would be best for them to return in case things heated up more...and before it was too late for her to travel. Soon, more and more family and friends started arriving...the week of the wedding, Faith Baptist (my new church) had a "mixed" shower for us -- men and women. We had a great time. Later that week, the day before our wedding, Tony's sister Carla (from Ethiopia) and his sister-in-law Lori hostessed a personal shower/tea at LaMae's house. There were around two dozen ladies and girls there; as Anna (his 4-year-old niece) told me when I asked where Ruby (his 2-year-old niece) was "this is only for BIG girls!" All the gals wrote down a piece of advice for me for marriage...every bit very much appreciated. (Six years later, Tony's sister added yet another little girl to their family along with the one she was carrying then...and they live in the Philippines now. His other sister Carla is no longer in Ethiopia...they have since moved to Uganda...and are now living in Rome)
The next day was uneventful, although during the short time that I took over driving the fully-loaded truck, we had some pretty strong winds on a small state highway in Gillette, Wyoming...it felt like I was going to end up tilted over a few times, but thankfully the winds died down. We stayed in Wyoming that night and got a good start the next morning. After making it through the rest of the mountains, we decided to take a small interstate (85) that would cut off several hours from our travels. It goes from the bottom of South Dakota up to I-94 which would take us home. I don't know if any of you are familiar with route 85, but after going through the small town of Belle Fourche, there is literally nothing for 71 miles until you get to a small town called Buffalo...then literally nothing again for another 45 miles until you get to Bowman...after that it's only 32 miles until the next small town, and a short 26 miles until reaching I-94. Well, I shouldn't say "literally nothing." There are plenty of antelope in the fields along the two-lane highway...and about 40-some miles north of Belle Fourche, there is a small convenience store called Crow Buttes...it has a couple tables for hungry travelers, some souvenirs, and a gas pump. (and seriously, folks, that's all that there was....no homes to see, no exits, no side roads, nothing...)
Why am I telling you all this? Well, about six miles past Crow Buttes, Tony veered off the road. Initially, LaMae and I thought he was pulling over to see the herd of antelope...until I saw the front left tire rotating diagonally. We're still not sure what the problem was, perhaps the tie rod or the axle, but that was when a bit of panic set in...what in the world were we going to do? I don't know how many saw our truck before we left, but that thing was FULLY loaded! We had horrible thoughts about having to unload and reload into another truck, and no one knows better than Tony, Ted Bultsma, James Hansen, and Jerome Foster Sr. that THAT possibility was close to impossible. I'm still not sure how they got everything into the truck in the first place! Luke and Mandy also had the front completely loaded down with wedding flowers and my wedding dress...there was just enough room for Tony and a small cooler in the cab. After thanking God that Tony was able to pull over okay, LaMae and I set out in the car to find a phone. (I didn't have a cell phone then, and even if I did, there was no way we'd get service out there!) We drove back to Crow Butte and called Penske. After explaining to the man on the phone what the problem was (oh yeah, did I mention that Saturday after we loaded the truck, James and Tony noticed that same front tire wasn't round? It was kind of square. We took it back to the place where we picked up the truck and asked them to change the tire. The guy told us "oh, it's okay; that's just because the alignment is off...you'll make it there with no problem. However, you can always go to the Penske service station and see what they think." We opted to do that; the service station opted to change the tire; we thought that was the end of that....were we WRONG!), I was glad when he told me "we found someone to tow you." I asked, "to Belle Fourche? Buffalo? Bismarck? Tow to where?" wondering, what will happen then? I was stunned when the reply was "all the way to Park Rapids." Wow! That was about 650 miles! No worries about transferring items; we didn't have to pay for gas in the truck for the remainder of the trip, and the best thing....we didn't need to return the truck! We were going to have to return it to Minneapolis, about a 3.5 hour trip each way. Praise God! No, actually the best thing was that Tony and I finally got to ride together :) We did, however, have to wait for just over six hours for the tow truck to arrive...but I wasn't about to complain about that. After finally getting on the road around 6:00, we ran into a blinding snow storm. There wasn't alot of snow, but it was whirling quite severely and by the time we reached I-94, it was next to impossible to see while driving...and when someone would pass, we were blinded for almost a minute or more until the snow settled a bit. We stopped that night in Bismarck while the tow truck continued home. The next day we made it to Park Rapids without further incident and were warmly welcomed by Tony's parents.
Within the next couple weeks, we got things unpacked and started welcoming visitors. Tony's sister and her family ended up coming home unexpectedly from Indonesia. Because she is close to her due date, they weren't expecting to be able to travel home for the wedding. However, with the war starting, their team leader thought it would be best for them to return in case things heated up more...and before it was too late for her to travel. Soon, more and more family and friends started arriving...the week of the wedding, Faith Baptist (my new church) had a "mixed" shower for us -- men and women. We had a great time. Later that week, the day before our wedding, Tony's sister Carla (from Ethiopia) and his sister-in-law Lori hostessed a personal shower/tea at LaMae's house. There were around two dozen ladies and girls there; as Anna (his 4-year-old niece) told me when I asked where Ruby (his 2-year-old niece) was "this is only for BIG girls!" All the gals wrote down a piece of advice for me for marriage...every bit very much appreciated. (Six years later, Tony's sister added yet another little girl to their family along with the one she was carrying then...and they live in the Philippines now. His other sister Carla is no longer in Ethiopia...they have since moved to Uganda...and are now living in Rome)
And that, for now, is where I'll end off. Wow. Hard to believe it's been six years!
....and now
Friday, March 13, 2009
Imitation is the sincerest Form of Flattery....
Or so the saying goes. However, I had to tell my father today that he really didn't need to go to the lengths he did to imitate me.
Mid-morning, I got a call from my mom informing me that Daddy was in the hospital. Wow, what a shocker to me. I guess I never thought of my dad being IN the hospital...although he does quite a bit of visiting there (for those of you that don't know, my dad is a pastor). Mom told me that he had been awake since 3 a.m. with severe abdominal pain and finally woke her up at 7 to tell her he thought they should go to the hospital. That he would even say something like that was enough to set her in motion!
At the hospital, they did a number of tests on Daddy and ruled out heart problems but discovered a severely inflamed pancreas as well as gall stones. They also gave him pain meds...and soon he requested more as those weren't effective. That was also a shocker....he doesn't even take aspirin or Tylenol!
Dad was admitted and is expected to stay through Saturday, on IV only, so the inflamation will go down and the pancreas can heal. They'll be doing a surgical consult in the morning and will most likely schedule surgery to remove his gall bladder (and that's where the imitation comes in!) -- but when the surgery will be is yet to be determined.
I called early evening to talk with him and really had to laugh (to myself) -- he was sooo out of it, could hardly remember my kids' names, and yet was talking about planning the layout of the garden while he had nothing else to do. I also asked him what was happening, if it was gall bladder or what, and his answer was "I don't know. I don't really remember anything except arriving at the hospital." So, if he's planning the layout of his garden, I kinda doubt he'll remember it! As well as our phone conversation....
On a bit more of a serious note, please do keep him in your prayers, as well as my mom. I cannot imagine my dad as a patient...he ALWAYS has to be doing something, so this will be hard for him (and probably very good for him, too...although he'd probably disagree). I also know that he'll be pushing himself as much as possible...when he shouldn't try to do so. But I also know from personal experience that physically he just won't be able to do much except rest and recover.
On behalf of our family, thanks for your prayers. You can send him a card if you want to their home address -- 3007 East River Road, Newton Falls, OH 44444 -- for those of you local to him, he's at Trumbull Memorial, but I really doubt he'll be up to visitors. I'll keep ya all informed as I know.
Mid-morning, I got a call from my mom informing me that Daddy was in the hospital. Wow, what a shocker to me. I guess I never thought of my dad being IN the hospital...although he does quite a bit of visiting there (for those of you that don't know, my dad is a pastor). Mom told me that he had been awake since 3 a.m. with severe abdominal pain and finally woke her up at 7 to tell her he thought they should go to the hospital. That he would even say something like that was enough to set her in motion!
At the hospital, they did a number of tests on Daddy and ruled out heart problems but discovered a severely inflamed pancreas as well as gall stones. They also gave him pain meds...and soon he requested more as those weren't effective. That was also a shocker....he doesn't even take aspirin or Tylenol!
Dad was admitted and is expected to stay through Saturday, on IV only, so the inflamation will go down and the pancreas can heal. They'll be doing a surgical consult in the morning and will most likely schedule surgery to remove his gall bladder (and that's where the imitation comes in!) -- but when the surgery will be is yet to be determined.
I called early evening to talk with him and really had to laugh (to myself) -- he was sooo out of it, could hardly remember my kids' names, and yet was talking about planning the layout of the garden while he had nothing else to do. I also asked him what was happening, if it was gall bladder or what, and his answer was "I don't know. I don't really remember anything except arriving at the hospital." So, if he's planning the layout of his garden, I kinda doubt he'll remember it! As well as our phone conversation....
On a bit more of a serious note, please do keep him in your prayers, as well as my mom. I cannot imagine my dad as a patient...he ALWAYS has to be doing something, so this will be hard for him (and probably very good for him, too...although he'd probably disagree). I also know that he'll be pushing himself as much as possible...when he shouldn't try to do so. But I also know from personal experience that physically he just won't be able to do much except rest and recover.
On behalf of our family, thanks for your prayers. You can send him a card if you want to their home address -- 3007 East River Road, Newton Falls, OH 44444 -- for those of you local to him, he's at Trumbull Memorial, but I really doubt he'll be up to visitors. I'll keep ya all informed as I know.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Blessed Minnesota
My good friend Chuck sent this email a few months ago...right around our first or second snow storm...
On the sixth day, God turned to the Archangel Gabriel, and said, "Today, I am going to create a land called Minnesota. It will be a land of outstanding natural beauty; a land of 10,000 beautiful lakes, each one full of fish. It shall have tall majestic pines, peacefully flowing rivers, landscapes full of buffalo, tall grasses, and eagles. It will be a land of beautiful blue skies, forests full of bear, elk and moose; and there will be rich farmland."
God continued, "I shall make the land rich in resources so as to make the inhabitants prosper and they shall be known as a most friendly people on earth, people who practice being 'Minnesota Nice' every day."
"But Lord," asked Gabriel, "don't you think you are being too generous to these Minnesotans?"
"Not really," replied God. "Just wait and see the winters I am going to give them."
(and I will post something on a more personal level real soon!)
On the sixth day, God turned to the Archangel Gabriel, and said, "Today, I am going to create a land called Minnesota. It will be a land of outstanding natural beauty; a land of 10,000 beautiful lakes, each one full of fish. It shall have tall majestic pines, peacefully flowing rivers, landscapes full of buffalo, tall grasses, and eagles. It will be a land of beautiful blue skies, forests full of bear, elk and moose; and there will be rich farmland."
God continued, "I shall make the land rich in resources so as to make the inhabitants prosper and they shall be known as a most friendly people on earth, people who practice being 'Minnesota Nice' every day."
"But Lord," asked Gabriel, "don't you think you are being too generous to these Minnesotans?"
"Not really," replied God. "Just wait and see the winters I am going to give them."
(and I will post something on a more personal level real soon!)
Friday, March 6, 2009
A New Recipe...sorta!
Okay, I got this as an email today from a good friend back in CA and just had to post it. Please...don't try this at home!
White Lie Cake
Have you ever told a white lie? You are going to love this, especially all of those who bake for church events.
Alice Grayson was to bake a cake for the ___________ Church Ladies' Group in Tuscaloosa , but forgot to do it until the last minute. She remembered the morning of the bake sale and after rummaging through cabinets, found an angel food cake mix & quickly made it while drying her hair, dressing, & helping her son pack for Scout camp. When Alice took the cake from the oven, the center had dropped flat and the cake was horribly disfigured. She thought, 'Oh dear, there is not time to bake another cake.'
This cake was important to Alice because she did so want to fit in at her new church and in her new community of friends. So, being inventive, she looked around the house for something to build up the center of the cake.Alice found it in the bathroom - a roll of toilet paper. She plunked it in and covered it with icing. Not only did the finished product look beautiful, it looked perfect.
Before she left the house to drop the cake by the church and head for work, Alice woke her daughter Amanda and gave her some money and specific instructions to be at the bake sale the moment it opened at 9:30 and to buy the cake and bring it home. When Amanda arrived at the sale, she found the attractive, perfect cake had already been sold. She grabbed her cell phone and called her mom. Alice was horrified - she was beside herself. Everyone would know! What would they think? She would be ostracized, talked about, and ridiculed! All night, Alice lay awake in bed thinking about people pointing fingers at her and talking about her behind her back.
The next day, Alice promised herself she would try not to think about the cake and would attend the fancy luncheon/ bridal shower at the home of a fellow church member and try to have a good time. Alice did not want to attend because the hostess was a snob who more than once had looked down her nose at Alice because she was a single parent and not from the founding families of Tuscaloosa but, having already RSVP'd, she couldn't think of a believable excuse to stay home.
The meal was elegant, the company was definitely upper crust old South and, to Alice ʼs horror, the cake in question was presented for dessert! Alice felt the blood drain from her body when she saw the cake! She started out of her chair to tell the hostess all about it, but before she could get to her feet, the Mayor's wife said, 'What a beautiful cake!' Alice, still stunned, sat back in her chair when she heard the hostess (who was a prominent church member) say, 'Thank you, I baked it myself.'
Alice smiled and thought to herself, 'God is good.'
White Lie Cake
Have you ever told a white lie? You are going to love this, especially all of those who bake for church events.
Alice Grayson was to bake a cake for the ___________ Church Ladies' Group in Tuscaloosa , but forgot to do it until the last minute. She remembered the morning of the bake sale and after rummaging through cabinets, found an angel food cake mix & quickly made it while drying her hair, dressing, & helping her son pack for Scout camp. When Alice took the cake from the oven, the center had dropped flat and the cake was horribly disfigured. She thought, 'Oh dear, there is not time to bake another cake.'
This cake was important to Alice because she did so want to fit in at her new church and in her new community of friends. So, being inventive, she looked around the house for something to build up the center of the cake.Alice found it in the bathroom - a roll of toilet paper. She plunked it in and covered it with icing. Not only did the finished product look beautiful, it looked perfect.
Before she left the house to drop the cake by the church and head for work, Alice woke her daughter Amanda and gave her some money and specific instructions to be at the bake sale the moment it opened at 9:30 and to buy the cake and bring it home. When Amanda arrived at the sale, she found the attractive, perfect cake had already been sold. She grabbed her cell phone and called her mom. Alice was horrified - she was beside herself. Everyone would know! What would they think? She would be ostracized, talked about, and ridiculed! All night, Alice lay awake in bed thinking about people pointing fingers at her and talking about her behind her back.
The next day, Alice promised herself she would try not to think about the cake and would attend the fancy luncheon/ bridal shower at the home of a fellow church member and try to have a good time. Alice did not want to attend because the hostess was a snob who more than once had looked down her nose at Alice because she was a single parent and not from the founding families of Tuscaloosa but, having already RSVP'd, she couldn't think of a believable excuse to stay home.
The meal was elegant, the company was definitely upper crust old South and, to Alice ʼs horror, the cake in question was presented for dessert! Alice felt the blood drain from her body when she saw the cake! She started out of her chair to tell the hostess all about it, but before she could get to her feet, the Mayor's wife said, 'What a beautiful cake!' Alice, still stunned, sat back in her chair when she heard the hostess (who was a prominent church member) say, 'Thank you, I baked it myself.'
Alice smiled and thought to herself, 'God is good.'
Sunday, March 1, 2009
You have a beautiful....
I've been suffering with a mild sinus cold. Mild in that it isn't as bad as most of the ones that have hit friends and family, but still enough that my head is stuffy and my eyes and sinuses are achy. (achey? achie?) -- Anyway, I stayed home from church today and slept while Tony and the kids went. It was a lazy day, I think the biggest thing I did today was make hamburger soup from a recipe my MIL gave me several years ago that I lost and just recently found (did that sentence make sense?). Remind me, and I'll post it this week. I lazed around in sweats, hair scraggly and yucky, a big ole zit popped out at the top of my nose (lovely picture, hm?). I wasn't stinky, though...I did take a hot bath to help with the sinuses!
Tony and the kids got home; Luke took one look at me and informed me he would pray for me because he didn't want me to die. Yikes! I must've looked worse than I thought! I smiled at Susanna and told her she had a beautiful dress. She smiled back and sweetly said, "Why thank you, Mama! And you have a beautiful...." She stopped. She was stuck. "Um....you have a beautiful...." I could almost see those gears grinding in her head. After all, she already knows her nose grows when she lies. What could she say? A finger popped up. A smile lit her face. "Ring! Mama, you have a beautiful ring!" Ahhhh!
Then she continued, "And a beautiful face, Mama. You always have a beautiful face."
My sinuses suddenly felt so much better.
(and I got rid of that nasty zit by putting some Watkins petro carbo on it....within an hour it was popped and gone!)
Tony and the kids got home; Luke took one look at me and informed me he would pray for me because he didn't want me to die. Yikes! I must've looked worse than I thought! I smiled at Susanna and told her she had a beautiful dress. She smiled back and sweetly said, "Why thank you, Mama! And you have a beautiful...." She stopped. She was stuck. "Um....you have a beautiful...." I could almost see those gears grinding in her head. After all, she already knows her nose grows when she lies. What could she say? A finger popped up. A smile lit her face. "Ring! Mama, you have a beautiful ring!" Ahhhh!
Then she continued, "And a beautiful face, Mama. You always have a beautiful face."
My sinuses suddenly felt so much better.
(and I got rid of that nasty zit by putting some Watkins petro carbo on it....within an hour it was popped and gone!)
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