Taking The Plunge

Taking the Plunge!

                Taking the plunge can refer to a marital commitment which in some cases might send a person running for the hills, in my case, taking a Polar Plunge had the same effect!  In case you have no idea what a polar plunge might be here’s the gist….they cut a huge hole in the ice in the middle of winter and people raise money for the “opportunity” to dress up in costumes and jump in the freezing cold water. It’s really fun if you’re the one on the sidelines with the camera! The last polar plunge I took was accidentally falling into Lake Superior when I was 13 and a warm summer day. I was reaching for a pretty piece of driftwood floating by when the next thing I knew I was flipped over into the lake.  It was soo cold I think I was out of the water when I was barely wet!  The closest I’ve come since that day is turning the cold water on in my shower! I would never purposely jump into a frozen lake in February no matter how warm the hot tub was when I got out.

            My son Ben has a different view.  He couldn’t wait to jump in with his friend Paulie and Paul’s dad Wayne.  They dressed like “beautiful brides” (and I use the term beautiful loosely…) with high heels, bouquets and garters!  They even had a flower “boy” but he wised up to the cold and ran for the car.  This wasn’t just a weekend with nothing better to do; the plunge was for a good cause.  The brides raised over $350.00 for the Annandale All Night grad party.  (This is a really great party to keep kids locked in graduation night and avoid any tragic accidents.)  The plunge took place in Maple Lake and it was a balmy 36 degrees!  The hole they cut in the ice is huge so you have to paddle across.  It’s not just a quick in and out like my Lake Superior plunge.  I have it all on video!  I said the brides stayed in the plunge longer than a Kardashian wedding!  Once out there is a hot tub waiting to warm you up.  The boys said it felt like needles after being in the lake.  It’s a proud mama moment to see your son in a wedding dress and heels for a good cause! 

            When visiting the North Shore the kids like to bring their friends from Annandale.  One April we told our guest that it was a custom to go down to the beach at Father Baragas cross and jump in Lake Superior in your underwear.  He called our bluff.  So we packed the van with beach towels and headed out.  All four kids stripped down and ran for the water but as soon as they stepped bare footed on the beach rocks you would see the icy cold shoot up their legs! Grandma LaVonne wouldn’t give you a warm towel unless you jumped in the water though! Hard nut!  (She was in a snowmobile jacket with mittens.)  Grandpa Art and I got a great laugh!  It was a memory I am sure they won’t soon forget.  The next time you’re at the lake you might want to strip down and take the plunge, as for me, I’ll be in the hot tub! Peace, Sandy

“Plunge boldly into the thick of life!” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Here are some great “sea food” recipes just in time for Lent

Crock Pot Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

4 (6 1/2 oz.) cans minced clams with juice

1/2 pound salt pork or bacon, diced

1 cup chopped onion

6 to 8 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 cups water

3 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 cups half and half cream or milk

3 to 4 Tablespoons cornstarch

Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Cut clams into bite-sized pieces if necessary. In skillet, saute salt pork or bacon and onion until golden brown; drain. Put into slow cooker with clams. Add all remaining ingredients, except milk, cornstarch, and parsley. Cover and cook on high 3 to 4 hours or until vegetables are tender. During the last hour of cooking, combine 1 cup of milk with the cornstarch. Add cornstarch mixture and the remaining milk and stir well; heat through. Top each serving with a little chopped parsley and serve with oyster crackers.

Crock Pot Shrimp Creole

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups diced celery

1 1/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped bell pepper

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes, broken up

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspooon pepper

6 drops Tabasco, or to taste

1 pound shrimp, deveined & shelled

Combine all ingredients except shrimp. Cook 3 to 4 hours on high or 6 to 8 hours on low. Add shrimp last hour of cooking. Serve over hot rice. Chicken, rabbit or crawfish may be substituted for shrimp. Stove top version, if you don't have a Crock Pot. Saute celery, onion and bell peppers in oil or butter until tender. (Better if left a bit crunchy.) Add remaining ingredients except meat being used. Simmer at least 30 minutes to an hour. Add shrimp or whatever meat you wish and simmer 30 minutes more.
This is even better reheated the next day.

 Crock Pot Citrus Fish

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds fish fillets

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped onion

5 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

2 teaspoons grated orange rind

Orange and lemon slices, for garnish

parsley sprigs, for garnish

Butter slow cooker; sprinkle fish fillets with salt and pepper. Place fish in crock pot. Put onion, parsley, grated orange and lemon rind, and oil over fish. Cover and cook on LOW for 1 1/2 hours. Serve garnished with orange and lemon slices and sprigs of fresh parsley.

Going Viral

Going viral….

            I am sure by now many of you have watched the video of the dad wearing a cowboy hat ceremoniously putting several bullets through his daughter’s laptop.  He did this because he was upset she shared her teenage angst on the Internet.  I personally don’t agree with his methods or his madness.  (Hmmmm…let’s teach my daughter not to share her every feeling on the Internet by sharing MY every feeling on the Internet.)  I do agree with taking away her laptop for improper use, but the bullets, in my opinion, were over the top.  But here’s a thought, why not give her a journal and tell her to feel free to write whatever she would like to get off her chest.  Being a writer I guarantee there were many, many pages of my teenage journal dedicated to my displeasure with my parents and the chores they expected me to do on a daily basis.  (It was my job to sweep or vacuum and do the dishes every other night, how cruel.) Here’s the difference thirty years can bring, she put her thoughts online for the entire world to see, and I wrote mine in my private journal.  No one would ever read it except me (and possibly my sneaking little brother.)   Some things should not “go viral”.

            I happen to LOVE the internet.  Especially Facebook and the “new-to me” website Pinterest.  I can see hundreds of crafting ideas; get fashion tip, home decorating ideas and best of all tons of recipes with just one click. (It’s right on my Bookmark Toolbar.)  Easy Peasy.  Everything has a picture and tutorial.  This week I have made pepperoni pizza casserole, chicken “inside” a biscuit and several paper hearts for valentine decorations.  I am gearing up to try a new hairstyle or two.  I pin things I like and then my friends and followers pin the things they like….it’s like looking at everyone’s “to do” scrapbook on one page.  By this time next year I should have completely redesigned my home, repurposed all my recyclables and put on about five pounds trying new recipes.  See the Internet can do good things when used the right way!

            I am sure the 16 year old girl whose laptop was destroyed by gunfire was sorry ten minutes after she posted the ranting and ravings about her parents.  I would have hoped that if my parents had ever read my journal would understand that they were the crazed writings of a hormonal teenager and not meant to hurt them in any way.     Unfortunately the Internet is a “can’t erase it or take it back” forum.  As Erica Albright told Mark Zuckerberg in the Social Network “The Internet's not written in pencil, Mark, it's written in ink. Permanent ink.”  In my case where I want to access new ideas, books and recipes, permanent viral documentation is a very good thing.  As long as I keep my complaints in a handwritten journal I shouldn’t have to worry about anyone putting a bullet through my laptop.  Peace, Sandy

“The trouble with quotes on the internet is that it’s difficult to discern

whether or not they are genuine.”  ~ Abraham Lincoln

Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

1 (8 ounce) package uncooked egg noodles

1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce, or as needed

1 (8 ounce) package sliced pepperoni, one half coarsely chopped

20 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking the meat apart into crumbles as it cooks, about 10 minutes.
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the egg noodles in the boiling water until cooked through yet slightly firm, about 5 minutes; drain.
4. Mix the noodles with the spaghetti sauce, chopped pepperoni, and half the mozzarella cheese in a large mixing bowl; spoon the mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish and top with remaining half of the mozzarella cheese and whole pepperoni slices. Cover the dish with foil.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole is bubbling, 30 to 45 minutes.

Chicken Inside a Biscuit

Ingredients

1 fully cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped

3 ounces cream cheese

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon dried rosemary

Salt and pepper to taste

I package refrigerator biscuits

Directions

Mix chicken with softened cream cheese and spices.  (You can add sliced mushrooms also.)  Roll the biscuits into a flattened circle.  Place about 1 tablespoon of chicken mixture in the center of the biscuit and bring the sides up to make a “bundle”.  Placed in a greased muffin pan.  Repeat with all ten biscuits.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until biscuits are done.

Maple-Bacon Kettle Corn


4-6 slices bacon (preferably maple flavored bacon), chopped
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup cooking fat (use the reserved bacon fat and add extra canola or vegetable oil to make 1/4 cup of oil total)
4 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
In a large pot with a lid, cook the bacon over medium-low heat until brown and crisp. Remove the bacon bits with a slotted spoon, drain on a paper towel-lined plate. In a small bowl, toss the bacon with the maple syrup and set aside.
Carefully measure out the hot bacon grease (or eyeball it and estimate). Add some vegetable or canola oil to make 1/4 cup of oil for cooking the popcorn.
Reheat the pot to medium-high heat, and heat up the bacon fat and oil mixture. Add the corn kernels, sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt and stir. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and wait for the popping to begin, shaking occasionally.
Once the popping begins, use two pot holders or kitchen towels to hold down the lid and shake the pot so the sugars don’t stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. Shake often throughout the popping process.
Once the popping slows, carefully remove the lid (watch out for the steam and flying popcorn) and season with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt. Pour the bacon and maple mixture over the popcorn and use a large spoon to stir it all together. Really good!

Cover Me

Cover Me

            When I was young I loved blankets, not just for sleeping but for cuddling, cozy reading props and blanket forts made by draping them over a card table and then crawling underneath.  Being “tucked in” at night was sometimes the best part of my day.  I would kiss both sides of my pillow twice for good luck.  Don’t ask me how kissing my pillow turned into a “luck ritual” but it was a habit I had picked up quite young and then I was afraid to stop for fear of something bad happening to me the next day.  Just before I closed my eyes I imagined that, covered by piles of heavy blankets, I was feeling the best possible feeling. I believed if I wished it I could feel this way forever.  This was a wish I never made though.  I was afraid to use such an important wish too soon.  Suppose someday I enjoyed the feeling of bungee jumping and I had already used up my wish….then where would I be???

            Just the expression “cover me” brings up a sense of safety and comfort.  How many times have you been in a jam and need a major bail out, only to feel a great sense of relief when hearing “I’ve got you covered”?   Or the sense of kindness you feel when you can “cover” someone else in their hour of need.   What could be more beautiful than a snow covered mountain or a field covered in flowers?  How about a strawberry covered in chocolate or a child covered in leaves?  Being covered can be a very good thing.

            I have had many special blankets cover me over the years.  Afghans knitted by my mom, patchwork quilts made by my Grandma Violet, and even a couple of store bought fuzzy blankets that are never the same after one trip through the washer and the dryer. The NAP blanket my husband bought me a few years ago was right at the top of my list of coverings until this Christmas….all of the above have now been replaced by my new ultimate favorite blanket, the electric lap quilt!  I didn’t expect this gift; I found it tucked away in my mudroom after a neighbor stopped by for the holidays.  It was wrapped round and long like a sleeping bag.  This is one of those gifts I didn’t even know I needed, now I think I’d be pressed to do without it!

It’s plugged in in our living room and it’s available on a first come first to fight for it basis.  I even appreciate our house being a little chilly this season just so I can use my blanket.  Our lab Lakota likes to curl up and take snooze on this toasty red velour treat. I turn it on low for her and she snores loudly in a deep sleep, soaking up the heat. I am guessing that if dogs could make a wish for a “forever feeling” it would be a nap on the electric quilt.  PS I’ve got you covered. Peace and warmth to you, Sandy

             

America is not a blanket woven from one thread, one color, or one cloth. America is woven of many strands. I would recognize them and let it so remain. Our fate is to become one, and yet many. This is not prophecy, but description. ~ Jesse Jackson and Ralph Ellison

Crock Pot London Broil 

3 to 4 pounds flank steak
1 pkg. ranch salad dressing mix
1 pkg. Italian salad dressing mix
1 pkg. brown gravy mix

Mix all the dry ingredients with 1-1/2 cups water. Place roast in crock-pot. Pour the mixture over roast and cook on low overnight.

Once you do this recipe - you will never prepare any other way. The gravy it makes - is to die for.

Crock Pot Bavarian Pot Roast 

3 to 4 lb. beef pot roast
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3 whole cloves
4 med. apples, cored and quartered
1 sm. onion, sliced
1/2 c. apple juice
3 to 4 tbsp. flour
3 to 4 tbsp. water

Wipe roast well and trim off excess fat. Lightly rub top of meat with oil. Dust with salt, pepper and ginger. Insert cloves in roast. Place apples and onions in crock pot and top with roast. Pour in apple juice. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 12 hours.

Remove roast and apples to warm platter. Turn crock pot to high setting. Make a smooth paste of the flour and water. Stir into crock pot. Cover and cook until thick. Serves 6 to 8.
Crock Pot Coke Roast
3 to 4 Pound Beef Roast
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Can Coke – Not diet
Place the roast in the bottom of the crock pot.  This can be fresh or frozen.  If frozen cook 8 to 12 hours.  Top with undiluted Cream of Mushroom soup and can of Coke.  Cover and set on low until internal temperature of the roast is 160 Degrees.

Radical Resolitions

Radical Resolutions

                January is notoriously the time we think of resolutions.  When I was young I remember making “New Year’s Resolutions” every year on the first page of my brand new diary.  Some were reasonable:  I resolve to keep my room clean.  Easy enough.  I resolve not to fight with my brother. Impossible. Others were lofty:  like “I resolve not to eat chocolate until I weigh less than 100 pounds”.  (Why I would ever consider such a crazy resolution can only be blamed on teenage hormones.) They say that most people have given up or forgotten their resolutions by the third week of January.  I am not sure if this is true or how they measure a statistic like this but I do know, depending on the celebration, many might not remember much from the night of December 31^st.

Maybe if I share my 2012 resolutions with you I will feel the pressure to keep them longer than the norm of three weeks or less.

I resolve to organize and de clutter my house – All I have to do is watch an episode or two of Hoarders and I am racing through the house like a mad woman with a trash bag.  Trust me you will never find  a beloved family pet buried in my living room under a pile of clutter but you will find bunnies, lots of them.  I thought I had it under control until we decided to paint the interior of our house this month.   Dust bunnies had mated with dust bunnies under our beds and in our closets….there were bunnies everywhere, but not the cute and cuddly type!

I resolve to finish writing a book - This is a goal I truly plan to meet.  If you have faithfully read this column there won’t be anything new as the plan is to pull together a book of columns and recipes.  But then again if you like the column and you’ve had a laugh or two you might want to pick up a copy, just to reminisce.  My fantasy is to be a writer on Oprah’s 2012 book club list….hey a girl can dream can’t she??? Maybe if I buy enough wine I can get my book club to read it. 

I resolve to run/walk at least one 5K this year - I have a friend who started running a 5K every couple of months and she has really inspired me to get moving.  I think of Newton’s Law:   An object (my body) at rest will remain at rest and an object (my body) in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. (Why this isn’t an ad for Nike tennis shoes, I will never know.) I think my body has been at rest long enough – time to get up and get moving.

These three goals should keep me going until May when I head to Tanzania on a mission trip for 19 days.  I don’t want any unresolved resolutions waiting for me in June.  Then I think I’m going to need the summer off to focus on not eating chocolate until after my 30 year class reunion in August.  (Wait, that’s just the crazy hormones talking! Ha!)  Peace, Sandy

Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right. ~ Oprah Winfrey

I resolve to finally put my bread machine to good use this year……not to bake in though….just to make the dough.

Bread Machine Pita Bread

1 1/8 cup water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 TBS oil
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Place all ingredients in bread pan, select Dough setting and start. When dough has risen long enough, machine will beep. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into 12" rope. Avoid using too much flour while rolling them out. Keep unrolled balls covered to prevent drying out. Handle with care while rolling and transferring. Tears or creases cause them not to puff up while baking.

With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 - 1 and one half inch pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 - 7" circle. Set aside on a lightly floured countertop. Cover with a towel. Let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy.

Preheat oven to 500°F. Place 2 or 3 pitas on a wire cake rack. Place cake rack directly on oven rack. Bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed and tops begin to brown. Avoid over baking-they will turn crisp and brittle. Remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft. Once pitas are softened, either cut in half or split top edge for half or whole pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or freezer for 1 or 2 months.

Easy Peazy Bread Machine Pizza Dough

Ingredients

1. 2 teaspoons dried granulated yeast
2. 3 cups bread flour
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 2 tablespoons sugar
5. 2 tablespoons olive oil
6. 1 cup water, plus
7. 2 tablespoons water

Directions

1. Place all the above ingredients in order into the bread machine.
2. Select the dough cycle and press start!
3. When the dough cycle is complete, take the dough out of the machine and place in well greased bowl, and roll the dough around (in the bowl) coating the dough it in oil.
4. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1/2 an hour.
5. Knead the risen dough lightly.
6. To shape and bake: roll the dough into a circle.
7. Place on well greased baking tray or pizza pan.
8. Then add a topping of your choice and bake at 400 degrees 15 to 20 min.
9. NOTE: for a nice crisp and very thin pizza, bake BEFORE adding the topping AND after.

This dough can also be used when making a focaccia or a calzone.

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups flour (Add a bit more if dough seems too wet after first few minutes of kneading in the bread machine.)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast
Filling:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Icing:
1 teaspoon milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle. After the dough cycle is finished, roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread it with filing recipe.
Roll up and cut into 10-15 rolls and place in two greased round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. Spread the icing on as soon as they come out of the oven.