Stinky House

I just got back from visiting my mom in California.  I also went to my 40th high school reunion.  It was big fun to see all the friends I grew up with.  I don't think I talked to anyone I met in high school, but I spent the whole evening with friends I had known since elementary school.

 

Don't we look like a fun group??

Lee stayed home all by himself.  Well, he would have liked to be all by himself.  He had the pets to contend with.  And that is why I came home to a stinky house.  Oh, he cleaned it.  Many times.  But skunk odor is hard to get out.  Right, RJ??

  

Too ashamed to look me in the eye.

So the rug from our bedroom is currently on the screen porch awaiting a good scrubbing.  I KNOW you are not supposed to use a carpet cleaner on it, but it's not coming back in the house until I do.  If it is ruined, so be it.

 

Lee hosed it off, but I am going to clean it and see if I can get the remaining residue out.  It seems RJ ran in the house and rubbed his sprayed face on the carpet to get the spray off.  Thanks.  Good dog.

Lee says that after washing the dog and removing the rug, there still was a strong odor.  It seems that unlike NORMAL dogs, the spray was not enough to deter RJ and he managed to kill the skunk and leave it outside the bedroom window. Who does that?  Other than RJ.

He knows he is a BAD dog.

 

He looks so sweet and innocent.  He isn't.  Do not bring your pet skunk or rabbit to the Smith family abbatoir.  Should I start to worry about our cats???

Sausage Ricotta Frittata

I am getting ready to go on a trip and trying to clean the fridge out of things I know Lee won't fix.  When faced with bits of this and that, a good choice is a frittata.  And that is what I made.

 

Sausage Ricotta Frittata

Oooh.  That is even fun to say. See?

1/2 cup onion, diced
1 small yellow squash, diced.  You can use zucchini, but that is what I found in the garden .

2 Mozzarella Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausages, diced.  I had these from a Sam's Club shopping trip.  Use any sausage you like.

 

2 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced The ones in my garden have very thick skins, so I remove them.  It is optional.  Any tomato will work just fine.

5 or 6 Thinly sliced basil leaves, also from the garden.  Parsley or cilantro would also work.  What are you growing?

salt and pepper
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Italian Herbs seasoning
butter
EVOO

6 eggs, whipped with a fork and
3 Tablespoons milk

1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

 

Preheat the oven to 375°.

 

 

 

Melt a few Tablespoons butter with a bit of EVOO in an oven proof pan over medium heat.  I use cast iron.

 

Sauté the sausages and onions until the onions are soft.  Add the squash of choice and cook for about 2 minutes more, then add the garlic, Herbs and s&p to taste.

 

Place the Parmesan and ricotta in the pan and stir a bit until it starts to melt and add the egg/milk mixture.  When it starts to set, sprinkle the tomatoes and basil and stir one more time.

 

Put the pan in the oven for 15 minutes or until the eggs are set.

Cool a few minutes then cut into wedges and serve with fruit or a salad.

Pulling the Engine

The work is continuing on the Camaro.

 

I am not particularly strong or very good at engine work.  But I can help.

 

I can crank up the engine hoist while Lee guides the engine.  He pulled the engine and the transmission, so it was pretty long. 

 

Now come the hard part.  Which I will try to document.  But I am not much in the way of assistance.

 

But I am a great cheerleader.  Good Job!

   

Wall Art

I had a suggestion from a fellow blogger.  I think it was from Diane at www.theblueridgegal.com   If it was someone else, please let me know and I will make a correction. 

The suggestion was to take a bunch of pictures, print them on canvas and use them as wall art.  My camera has some great special effects that I thought would be fun to try.  For example I can use  a watercolor option.



 Or a illustration option

 

or even a painting option.

 

I like the old timey look of black and white. Does this look like the Amityville Horror house?

 

I have been waiting for the hay to be cut. 

 

And waiting. 

 

This strangely wet summer has made it extremely difficult for farmers to cut the hay.  You need at least two days in a row of dry, hot weather and that has not been the case all summer!

 

They got some of it done last week and I ran out to get some pictures.

 

 

 


 

Just like most farmers around here, they are very fond of John Deere. 

 

I got a picture of their tractors all lined up. 

 

I am going to make copies for them, too.

 

I kind of like the black and white versions the best.  I love the shadows from the tree behind me.  Or is it too creepy?

 

Oops.  As I am loading these pictures, which I really like, I noticed that there is a bit of schmutz in the upper right hand corner on the lens.  Oh, bother, says Winnie-ther-Pooh. Now I'll have to retake some and they might not turn out as good as the original.  Especially this cool shadow.

Back to the drawing board...er, dark room???

It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time

I seem to make varicose veins in one leg.  I had one removed in the 80s and then about 2 years ago I had another one removed.  That should have made me problem vein free.  For some reason another one popped up a few weeks ago.  I could feel it getting bad for a few months, but it seemed to pop out overnight.  I was going to let it go, but then the pain began.

As long as I could elevate it many times during the day and never sat upright I was OK.  At meals I would place my leg alongside my plate.  Isn't that a pretty picture?  But I have a ticket I purchased a few months ago to go visit my mother in California.  I leave tomorrow.  So I started to worry about the flight.  I went to get a consult and the decision was made to fix the darn thing on Friday. 

 

Much like childbirth, I had forgotten how much the surgery hurt.  I hobbled around all weekend until I could cut off the compression bandage. When I moved the wrong way it would push my patella off to the side.

 

So now I am wrapping it again in an Ace bandage.  A little support helps.  I wonder if the airport screeners will want to see what is under the bandage.  Can they see through it and know that I am not smuggling a banned substance??  I sure hope so.  Of course it could feel great at 4:30 AM tomorrow and I could leave it off!

 

That is my current plan.  Or I could wait to go through security and then go to the restroom and wrap it.  I don't really want to take off my pants in a toilet area.  Doesn't sound the least bit sanitary.

 I hope no one is next to me so I can put it up on the empty seat.  Lee bought me a first class upgrade, so I will have plenty of leg room and can move it around.

And that is just one of the reasons he is my favorite husband.

Free Magazines

 I read about a new program through the library to get free magazines to download on my iPad or other electronic devices.  I like free.  It's one of my favorite things.

I gave up magazine subscriptions because I don't always read them or there is only one or two things I find interesting and therefore, not worth the cost.  Plus, where do I put them? Must I keep them forever?  Can the shiny pages be recycled?

But if I could read them on my iPad and never have to recycle or worry about cost?  I'm in.

I generally go to Fincastle or Buchanan library and got help there.  The system also works through the Roanoke library system.  I assume that most libraries in the United States that have a e-library system are also hooked up.

This is how I did it.

Go to the county site. In my case it is  http://www.co.botetourt.va.us/  I don't know why I can't go through the library site, but I couldn't figure it out and this is what I was told.  You folks elsewhere will have to check with your libraries!

 

From there click on LIBRARY and then ONLINE SERVICES.

 

Scroll down to Magazines and News and click on  ZINIO.

 


You will need to have a library card number to sign up ( which you can get in any of the county libraries) and you have to download the free ZINIO app.

Follow the prompts and then choose a few magazines and start reading.

You can bookmark pages to return to, which is good for those that want to refer back to recipes and decorating ideas.  Like ME!

I have only been doing this for a few weeks, so I don't know if the next month of the magazines I chose will pop up or if I will have to go choose them again. It isn't an onerous thing, so I don't mind either way.  There is quite a few to choose from.   I really like this new program.

But, PLEASE, libraries.  Don't stop buying BOOKS.  They don't run out of power in the middle of the book.  I can flip back and forth in chunks and I just like them better.  My potential future grandchildren may not , though.

I'm OK with e-magazines, though.

Mixed Berry Pie with Almonds

I am not normally a pie aficionado.  I don't know why.  But lately I am loving fresh fruit pies, crisps and cobblers.  I saw a Rustic Berry Pie recipe I wanted to try.  It called for a 14 inch circle of pie crust. I didn't want to make the crust because you can buy wonderful pie crusts at the grocery store.  That makes for a quicker dessert!  But they don't come in 14 inch circles and smooshing them together and then rolling them out is not always successful. 

I decided to make a two crust pie and started looking for variations on a theme.  You can use tapioca or corn starch or flour for a thickener.  There are lots of different flavorings.  I liked this combination very much, so you might, too.

 

Mixed Berry Pie with Almonds

2  9-inch pie crusts
3 cups frozen blueberries, thawed and drained
2 cups frozen blackberries, thawed and drained
2/3 cups sugar
3 Tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
zest of one lemon
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sliced almonds, divided use
2 Tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg,
2 Tablespoons Turbinado or raw sugar

 

Measure out the berries and let them drain while you get everything else ready.  Or do it before lunch and make the pie after lunch!

 

Set out the pie crusts, if you purchased them, so they will come to room temperature and be easier to use.

Preheat the oven to 375°.

 

I always like to spray anything I am baking something in.  Every time I don't, I am sorry.  So spray the pie baker.  I had some toasted sliced almonds and I decided to layer them on the crust.   I also had just purchased some Honey Roasted Sliced Almonds from Trader Joe's and I used them on the top of the pie.  You may use any sliced almonds, or skip the almonds entirely for a nut free pie!  They were tasty, though.

 

Place the corn starch, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Mix with a fork.  Place the drained berries on top and thoroughly mix.

 

Add the lemon zest.  Then cut the lemon in half and squeeze one half over the berries.  Make sure you don't get any seeds in the pie.  I didn't measure.  Stir.  Scrape the berry mixture into the pie crust and dot the top with the butter.

 

Place the second crust on top and crimp the edges.  Whip up the egg with a fork in a small bowl and brush over the top of the pie.  Sprinkle with raw sugar and the Honey Roasted or plain sliced almonds.

 

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Check the pie at 30 minutes.  The edges of my crust started to get too brown so I put some thin strips of foil over them for the remaining 25 minutes.  If you are the proactive type of person, you could cover them for the first 30 minutes and then take off the foil for the last 25 minutes.  You choose!

 

This pie was so good.  I loved the bite of almonds in the berry mix and the lemon was just the right amount.  A berry pie is a marvelous dessert on a summer evening.  Ice cream on top makes it even better.