• 2 – Rock Cornish Game Hens
• 2 – finely chopped scallions
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion tops
• Fresh or Dried Rosemary
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• Kosher Salt
• Melted Butter/Margerine
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup White Wine (I used Columbia Winery Cellermasters Reisling)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place cornish game hens in a baking dish, breast side up. Season with Fresh Ground Pepper and Kosher salt, then drizzle some of that melted butter over them.

Season with Fresh Ground Pepper and Kosher salt, then drizzle some of that melted butter over them.  Add the rosemary, chopped scallions and green onion tops on and around the hens, drizzle a bit more butter over the tops again and add some more of the pepper and salt if you wish.

Pour the wine into the baking dish around the hens.

Now bake for approx. 1.5 hours, basting frequently with the juices in the dish.  When the hens are a nice golden brown/meat thermometer reads 180F as soon as you insert it, or tug on one of those tiny wings and if it just about pulls off  then they are done.

Place one hen on a plate, drizzle some of the wine/juices from the baking dish. (If you really feel like it, and aren’t starving to death by now, you could put those juices in a small pot, bring to a near boil and add a bit of flour… whisking it in well… for a thicker sauce).

I used sides of Minnesota Wild Rice (cooked in low fat/low sodium chicken broth) and brussel sprouts;  asparagus would accompany this quite well also.

• 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
• 1 graham cracker or chocolate cookie crumb pie crust

Use a *small* crockpot

Pour in the 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk

Cook for approx 4-6 hours (depends on the crockpot you have) stirring & scraping sides every 15 minutes until thick and the color of peanut butter.

Pour into pie crust

Let cool, then refrigerate to set up till firm

Slice &  Enjoy!

You can top each slice, or even the whole pie, with whipped cream:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Beat/Whip with mixer until thick and spreadable
• Spread on top of pie!

(Will add pictures in the next few days)

Between the husbands sextuple bypass surgery in May, his recuperation time, Amanda’s (my oldest daughter) wedding quickly followed by Morgan’s (aka MoJo – my youngest daughter) graduation in Dallas, TX, and the Neshoba County Fair in July, a trip to MoJo’s in August, a trip to Atlanta to see Mom in September, then the husband’s visit the first part of this month and my computer crashing… it’s been like riding drag on a cattle drive around here with all the dust kicked up. I need to find that pair of rose-colored glasses and super-glue them to my face I ‘reckon.

And believe me when I say that no matter how smart my ’smart phone’ is it will never replace a computer for emailing and blogging. I’ll be extremely happy when the new macho-machine arrives and I can get back to coding to my hearts content. Hopefully, said ‘macho-machine’ will ship next week after all the requested customizations ordered have been completed.

That’s all for now as my cell phone signal is iffy out here in the boonies.

Chicken & Broth

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 6)
Tony Chachere’s Original Seasoning Blend
Diced Onion (2 large)
Minced Garlic (1-2 Tblspns or more if you really like garlic and are brave)
Diced Celery (4-6 stalks)
Diced Bell Pepper (1/2 pepper, remove seeds and fleshy ‘pulp’) *optional
Chopped Green Onion Tops (bunches & bunches) 3 cups
Water
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Kitchen Bouquet

• Rinse Chicken Breasts, lay on a plate and season both tops & bottoms with Tony’s
• In a stock pot or dutch oven use 4 Tblspns Canola Oil
• heat over medium high
• place breasts in pot and brown (turn your vent on, or the spices will set everyone to coughing!)
• once well browned remove breasts from pot and set aside
• add diced onion, celery, garlic and optional bell pepper to pot and saute till onions soft and translucent
• Add water to halfway fill your pot, put chicken breasts back in pot, bring to boil, lower heat to simmer,
• add cut up green onion tops and cover. (Go make your dumpling dough now!)
• Cook until chicken is *very* tender, to where you can break each breast apart with a fork, break it up well
• add water if needed
• and enough Kitchen Bouquet to darken the broth nicely,
• season to taste with Tony’s or Kosher Salt/Fresh Ground Pepper
• Cover and lower heat to barely a simmer.

While the broth & chicken are simmering:

Dumplings

1-1/3 cups All Purpose flour (*not* self-rising!)
1/4 pound (one stick, eight tablespoons, 1/2 cup) butter or Crisco Solid (COLD)
1 dash salt
1/2 tspn baking soda
3 Tblspns cold water
Chopped Green Onion Tops 1 cup

• Sift together flour, salt, baking soda
• Cut in the butter/crisco until coarse crumbs form
• add cut up green union tops, mix in to where they are well distributed
• add cold water all at once, stirring until dough is formed into a ball, ***if chicken/broth is not to last step in chicken/broth section above, keep dough in bowl, cover with foil or plastic wrap and stick in refrigerator)
• put ball of dough on floured surface and pat down/flatten it a bit
• sprinkle a bit of flour on top and using a rolling pin, begin rolling it out as thin as you can get it, continue sprinkling flour on top of pastry to avoid sticking to rolling pin, this extra flour will help thicken your broth up nicely.
• now that it’s nice and thin take a dinner/butter knife and cut into strips vertically, then run the knife horizontally to cut into medium sided rectangles/squares

Now remove lid and turn up heat (or down as the case may be) until steam is rising from broth but it isn’t boiling and start slowly dropping your dumplings in, scattering them well. Dumplings will initially sink and then float this means they are ‘done’. From this point on do not *stir*, use a fork to lightly ’shake’ through the contents of the pot and continue to add dumplings. When all dumplings have been dropped, turn the heat to low, re-cover if not serving immediately.

Serve with Candied Sweet Potatoes (recipe to follow soon) and Pistolette’s. Green Beans with Almonds is a nice addition as well to round out this country meal

*Optional: If you don’t want to make your own dumplings you can find flat dumpling ’strips’ in your grocer’s freezer, usually where the frozen breads, rolls, & biscuits are. The brand I prefer & have used in a pinch is “Mary B’s” and usually takes at least two (2) of the regular packs or one (1) of the bulk/family size packs.

Mary B's Open Kettle Dumplings

Well, now that I’ve posted this it’s back to building mini-beds for the peas, beans and squash.

Hopefully by Monday it will be dry enough for my dirt to be delivered for the raised beds. I still need to finish bed #2 and then place and assemble beds #3 & #4; maybe tomorrow that can be done.

Yes it has rolled around yet again; fly season.

First we spread our manure all around the 30 acres. In a single layer it dries quickly and doesn’t provide those nasty flies with mini-manure honeymoon suites. How do we do this? Easy. As we pick the manure out of the stalls we put it in a Newer Spreader. Newer Spreaders are the best thing since sliced bread when you have a lot of horse dooky to deal with.

The next level of attack against the evil flies are fly predators, a completely natural, chemical free solution; I get mine from Spalding Labs in monthly shipments (March – October) of 20,000 predators per shipment (two or three shipments are doubled for a total of 40,000 predators.. these double shipments are for starting off and for July, the height of fly season).

Since the predators’ eggs (the eggs are what are shipped to me) are like cavier to ants I can’t just set them on the ground or sprinkle them around in the stalls or around the barns. Not that there are ants IN my barn, but they would think they were invited to a Rave and take the place over if I didn’t *hang* my predators up. Since I just received my first shipment of the year the other day I had the sealed container in the house until I started seeing the little buggers hatch out and crawling around; which happened this morning. So, I took them out to the barn to release them.

First I found 3 empty plastic tub containers (in this case Electrodex, electrolyte additive we put in the horses feed) and using my handy dandy knife with the box cutter blade

My Handy Dandy Knife

I cut a window on two sides of the tub. Then poked holes on the sides (near the top) between the two windows.

Tub with windows cut

Next I stole… errr borrowed …… some of my husbands bright colored string we use for setting our fence rows or when we need to set out an area for a new out-building, and ran it through the two holes and tied it back to the main line above the plastic tub. And put about one-third of the predator packet into the tub.

Predator Eggs in Tub

Tub with String (look at all those predators that hatched!)

Next, I tossed the spool of string up over one of the cross beams

String over beam

and then tied it off to one of the stall front panels

My fancy tie job

I hung three up sort of evenly spaced down the center of the barn.

Three Tubs Hanging

The predators ’spread’ by themselves to do what they do…. eat nasty fly larvae.

And now I have my next project to finish which I’ll cover in another posting!

]]> http://eq4bits.com/2009/03/19/feed/ 0 http://eq4bits.com/2009/02/bowling-for-memories/ http://eq4bits.com/2009/02/bowling-for-memories/#comments Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:39:15 +0000 eq4bits http://eq4bits.com/?p=16 There are few things as satisfying to me as making something with my own two hands. Sure, I helped create two beautiful daughters, but besides about an hours worth of exercise I didn’t have much to do with it… genes, dna and nature did the real work. Though not very talented in the artsy department (my stick figures and flowers won’t be on exhibit anywhere any time soon… ever) I have dabbled in a few things over the years.

Clay was an enjoyable medium, nice and squishy, but, again none of the ashtrays, little bowls or figurines (that all seem to look like blobby things more fitting for examples in the evolutionary chain) will ever be on display anywhere; and I definitely never had any experiences at the potters wheel a la the movie Ghost. In fact, I never had Unchained Melody playing in the background when I worked. Maybe that’s why. Well, discounting the fact I’m *not* Demi Moore…

I’ve designed and made the outfits my daughters wore when they competed at horse shows; took up basket weaving for a while, but, one can only have so many baskets sitting around; counted cross-stitch pieces are framed and hanging about the house, but, when I started having to wear glasses/contacts the cross-stitching fell by the wayside. Cooking is a bit creative, I suppose, but the end results don’t stay around long…. if I’m lucky. These days about the only thing I ‘make’ are web pages and php/sql driven forums.

Quite honestly, I don’t really have a ‘creative’ bone in my body. But recently, after reconnecting with old friends on Facebook and reminiscing about the past, I realised I did have something I had created that I’m quite proud of; the wood bowl I made in shop class in high school.

When faced with the prospect of early graduation, that meaning I wouldn’t be able to compete in Gymnastics, which wasn’t until the Spring Quarter, I proceeded to fill my schedule for Winter & Spring with every elective the school offered. Drafting, Co-ed PE, Drama, Home Economics, and Wood Shop. Yes, Wood Shop. I guess I was lucky not to have been born five years earlier, because before my sophmore year girls weren’t ‘allowed’ to take courses in ‘the manly arts’. Of course with Title IX and the Women’s Rights Movement many avenues opened for females, well males too because before then they weren’t allowed to take Home Ec. Fair’s fair, turn about, and what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Despite the new opportunities female participation in the Wood Shop classes was low enough that there would only be two or three at most in the classes each Quarter.

The curriculum included safety practices, instruction on what woods were best for different projects, as well as ‘horror’ stories of who cut off a finger the previous year, or that the former instructor had worn a tie to class and got it caught in the big planer and ended up planing himself into pieces. Scare tactics, maybe, but it did make one act a bit more responsibly and safely around the equipment, even teenagers. Well, for the *most* part…..

The required cutting board, candlestick/spindle and whale wall hanging completed; and having learned the basics of glueing, cutting and sanding, useing band, jig, and scroll saws, and the lathe, we moved on to the ‘final exam’ project. A bowl. This project entailed combing through the inventory of wood in the back of the shop; looking for not too big pieces of various woods. Once the pieces were collected the glueing together began. Several layers and widths later, one ended up with a big square block of glued together wood. Then it was on to the lathe. I won’t go into detail, but, you eventually ended up with a big *round* block of wood. Which you then proceeded to hollow out the middle of, again, using the lathe. Sanding, polishing and flocking the bottom of the bowl completed the project. And hopefully an ‘A’ received for the finished product.

My bowl has survived the last thirty-four years despite many moves, children and a husband that just doesn’t understand his wife’s pack-rat tendencies. During the holidays it’s used to hold walnuts, almonds, and other nuts for cracking, and has become a tradition of sorts. The rest of the year it’s where pens, pencils and spare change accumulate. The bottom needs re-flocking and I’ll get around to it eventually… but, there’s this recipe I want to try….

Stephanie replied ‘Dude! Rightious Idea! I want to go too!’

Lindsay: ‘Dude! Let’s go together! We could meet at the Rapid City Airport!”

Stephanie: “No Dude, You fly to Sioux Falls and I’ll pick you up and we’ll DRIVE to Deadwood!”

Lindsay: “That’s brilliant, rightious and awesome!”

What followed was each of us getting our ducks in a row; Lindsay getting plane ticket, Stephanie making sure her hubby was going to be in town; etc. Both of them emailing Dustin The Wind (Laura’s hubby) for hotel ideas, arranging for him to take her to lunch that Friday at Diamond Lil’s to find a table all ready occupied with 2 of her fellow DSW nerds. :p

For a month they each squirmed in eager anticipation of their brilliantly rightous surprise plan and finally the week arrived!

And guess what? Mother Nature decided to make it more interesting…..

Phone conversation:

Lindsay: “Dude! It’s supposed to start snowing up there Thursday night!”

Stephanie: “No probl-em-o! My car is all wheel drive and I’ll put the ’snow box’ in the back! And we can check with Dustin from the Corn Palace and elsewhere along the way to see how bad it is there. If we get as far as Wall Drug that’s over half-way so if it’s okay that far we should be able to make it the rest of the way, if not, we can always get a hotel room and get up early the next morning for the last part of the drive and still make it in time for lunch!”

Lindsay: “Sounds Awesome! Then let’s play it by ear. Worse comes to worse we have to turn around and go to your house and we’ll just have a good visit and do some fun stuff there.”

Stephanie: “Yeah, or one night in a hotel on the road and then on to Deadwood!”

Mother Nature wasn’t the only adverse condition the two adventurer’s would face. Mechanical problems next ensued.

Phone Conversation Wednesday afternoon (4/30)

Stephanie: Hi, It’s me. I’m in a rental. I took my car in to be checked and the brakes, calipers and pads have to be replaced and it won’t be ready for a couple of days! Good news is I have the rental which I’ll leave with Marc and we can take his SUV, but it’s front wheel drive, but we should be okay.

Lindsay: Alrighty then! See you tomorrow afternoon!

And so the adventure began…………

Stephanie picked Lindsay up at the Sioux Falls Airport Thursday (5/1) and the two were quickly on their way westward on I-90.

Seventy-Two miles later they stopped at the Corn Palace to let Zoom II have some fun, take some pics, stretch their own legs and grab a Subway sandwich/wrap. Zoom tried to eat some of the corn off the palace but Stephanie prudently restrained him.

Corn Palace, Mitchell, SD

Corn Palace, Mitchel,l SD

Corn Palace Mural, Mitchell, SD

Stephanie & Zoom, Mitchell, SD

Phone Conversation:

Lindsay: Dustin? Lindsay. We’ just left the Corn Palace….How’s the weather there?

Dustin: It’s bad, but not stopping anyone. You should be fine.

Lindsay: Awesome! We’ll check back when we get near Wall, SD.

about a hundred miles later…….

Lindsay: You want me to drive? I don’t mind the rain….

Stephanie: That’s snow too.

Lindsay: No way!

Stephanie: Yes way. See? It’s just melting right before it hits the windshield. See how it’s different?

Lindsay: Should we turn around and go to Jasper?

Stephanie: I think we’ll be okay, but I better drive since it’s getting on the roads and you aren’t used to driving in snow/ice.

….. about 80 miles later our two adventurers arrive at Wall Drug, famous for it’s free Ice Water (not to mention it’s world-wide weird signs…..)

Wall Drug, Wall, SD

(this pic taken saturday may 3 on return trip cuz it was snowing so bad on thursday that zoom wouldn’t get out of the car to pose)

While inside the store picking up a couple of souvenirs Stephanie calls Laura…

Stephanie: Hey Laura! You guys okay? I’ve been watching the weather channel and you’re getting snow! Are they still having the play?

Laura: As far as I know! We’ve got rehersal still tonight, so we’ll see what happens.

Stephanie: You still have power?

Laura: We didn’t this morning, but we do now. Thanks for checking on me!

Stephanie: No problem. We’re having tornado warnings here in Jasper!

(Stephanie, of course, already knows there was a loss of power. Dustin told her. She just wanted to know if it had come back on. And her hubby, Marc, had already told her about the tornado warnings at home so she was reasonably well0-informed about the weather where she was *supposed* to be)

and at the same time Lindsay calls Dustin for a weather update…….

Lindsay: Dustin? Lindsay…. it’s snowing pretty bad here, what’s it like there?

Dustin: It’s still bad, but you should be fine.

After filling up the SUV the two resume the rapidly deteriorating journey with one thought in mind: Getting to Deadwood!

Nearly 100 miles later they are making excellent time considering the snow and ice and sail through Rapid City and on to the exit for Deadwood. This is when it really becomes fun… it’s a two-lane highway and all up hill………….. and curvey…

The Last 10 miles (Deadwood, SD)1

Up The Mountain Still

Still Going Up The Mountain....

The View On the Passenger Side

this last 10 miles took nearly an hour, our valiant driver (Stephanie) battling the icy road and the continual precipitation………

Finally a successful arrival IN Deadwood, about 7:30pm mountain time, and check in at the hotel. Next bit of a pitfall is that the room is across the road from the main hotel and the parking lot is full. No problem, the guy at the front desk says to park behind the hotel (up a steep hill) next to the public library (the lot entry takes you back down an incline….), which Stephanie does. Then with the help of the front desk guy they move their stuff from the main lobby to their room across the street. An ‘okay’ room, nothing to write home about.

By this point and nearly faint with hunger (despite ‘puppy chow’ and beef jerky nibbled on in the car…) the two bundle up in coats and snow boots (which Stephanie brilliantly brought along) and make their way on foot the block or so to the Martini Bar and Restaurant above the No. 10 Saloon.

Stephanie: I’ll have the Dirty Bitch.

Lindsay: A Warm Apple Crisp for me!

The martoonies half gone and their Buffalo Burgers in front of them , they chow down. Next is the walk back, but wait! The martoonies have our adventurers feeling quite fine, so, they stop at the corner and make a cell call (they have forgotten they are in mountain time zone by this point… and even if they had remembered they wouldn’t have cared….)

Teri: Hellllo????

Lindsay: Teri! Hi! Google South Dakota Webcams *right now* and view the ‘Deadwood’ one! *wild giggling*

Teri: Ok

Lindsay: See us? We’re waving at you!

Teri: All I see is a car.

Lindsay: Go to the other Deadwood Cam! We’re waving!

Teri: I don’t see you!

Lindsay hands phone to Stephanie and takes off up the middle of Main Street in the swirling and building snow wildly waving her arms and doing a jig…

Lindsay: Can she see me now?????

Stephanie chats with Teri, disconnects the call, recaptures Lindsay to the sidewalk and they return to their room and beds.

About 5:30am local time Lindsay gets up to go to the bathroom and hears weird ‘beeping’. Silently and what she thought was with great stealth she parted the drapes to see……..

Lindsay: HOLY SHIT!

Stephanie: What time is it?! It’s so bright!

Lindsay: LOOK!

TO BE CONTINUED……………

First Sight....

Happy Birthday Lindsay!

Is that... a TRUCK?!