It's time to celebrate a New Year!
We came from here...
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1144054/
ORVG Coffee House #185 A New Year of Gardening
Ric, you didn't let us see the decorations and lights this year. Is it too late?
Thanks, Ric!
I have a few but nothing really lite up Bonnie.
Weather and time constraints caused some problems.
Well, when you decorate like I did this year, anything is better. I put candles in the windows, and a small tree on a table. So the decorations were very scarce. DGD wasn't here to prod me to put up the tree Thanksgiving weekend, and by the time she got here, she agreed that as late a start as we were getting, that it was silly to put it all up, only to be taken down in a couple of weeks.
Robyn did decorate heavily.
Each night I went out for shots it either rained or was too windy.
Then on the one perfect night we had too many people pop over and I spent the night hosting....lol!
Well, Bonnie, after 10 years, I think you deserve a rest! Hope it doesn't continue to bug you!
-1° at Sue's this morning..... 7° here but calm.
Good mornng all!
Read all on other thread...and found ya'll here!
Think I am getting lazy here...shame on me.
Sorry to hear about your problems Bonnie and Celene! Wishing the best for you both.
I like your hair Bonnie!
(((((Joyce))))))))!
Not much going on here. Trying to keep warm..and waiting on Spring!
Sunny here...and was 8 degrees this morning..brrrrr.
Well it was 7° when I got up... now it's 16° (Wind Chill 6°).
So I think in some ways we're loosing ground... ;-)
Robyn's in the Sewing Room taking down the last Christmas tree.
We're meeting the Family at the hospital.
They are gathering at her Sister's place first but that's a 1/2 hour further drive for us.
Just found out it's a Memorial for all the donors who died in Sept and October 2010 at Miami Valley Hospital.
So it will be a little less intimate than I was expecting.
Shouldn't be as traumatic this way.
Hey we just broke 20°!
Break out the shorts!
Not quite yet Ric. Brrr, I don't know our temp but COLD seems to cover it!! Sometimes just knowing the numbers makes me think it is actually colder.
Back from church, and had lunch, the kitchen cleaned, and it is reading time, and that usually leads to a nap.
28° (Wind Chill 24°) here......
EXCELLENT!
SOON YOU'LL BE OUT THERE CATCHING THE RAYS!
Well the Memorial went pretty well.
We got there just as most of the rest of the Family.
In fact we all parked right together.
Nice touching service.
Psalms, a couple of songs done live w/ piano and violin, a handling grief sermon or lesson.
Then they read the roll of all the people who had died there in Sept/Oct.
As their names were read someone from the Family lit a candle.
Maybe 10 out of the probably 100 people were represented.
Then they gave each Family a cut long stemmed rose.
And of course all the fresh wounds were opened.... but it's better they are openly grieving than....
Robyn's OK. Like me she celebrates the Life.
Sounds like a beautiful service. What we fail to remember at times of our grief, that dying is a part of the life cycle. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Give Robyn my best.
It was nice and obviously they have a lot of experience in dealing w/ grief.
There were actually 3 ministers there and two grief counselors.
That's a lot of people for such a small gathering.
Winter Storm Warning
(Expires: Wednesday January 12 12:00AM EST)
the national weather service in wilmington has issued a winter
storm warning for heavy snow, which is in effect from 1 am
tuesday to midnight est tuesday night. the winter storm watch is
no longer in effect.
snow will overspread the region from the southwest late tonight
into tuesday morning. the snow will continue into tuesday
afternoon before tapering off to scattered snow showers tuesday
night. snow accumulations of 3 to 5 inches will be possible by
tuesday evening.
Ric, my heart goes out to you and Robyn. My mother's hospital does that, and I just couldn't go, too much for me. I do know how much it means to people...I donated bone marrow on Dec. 18, 1993 and the family still calls and thanks me every year. One of my friends is having a bone marrow donation that will save her life on Wednesday. It really does save lives.
More snow isn't welcomed here.
We got around 3 inches Saturday. Localized blizzard apparently as Frankfort and Lexington got much less. Went to Lexington market Saturday. We had a meat order to deliver. If we could have an order like that once a week it wouldn't be too bad doing market all winter.
Got the kitchen floor scrubbed really good yesterday and the sweeper run. Had to help unload a truck of bagged corn yesterday afternoon. The kids were still at the hill farm and DH didn't need to be picking up 60# bags of corn. I guess I'm a bit out of shape as we're a bit sore today. Doesn't take long to loose what you gain in the summer....
Ric, it sounds like the memorial was a very good thing. Friends forget that remembering good things about the folks that have passed on is good for those left behind and quite often just sort of act like the deceased never existed. It's good to remember sometimes.
Just back from the Ortho, and I am a free woman. Said to start exercising with a soft ball, and build up the muscles again, and unless I was concerned about something, don't have to see him again.
Yep, they are hollering snow here starting tonight, into Tuesday. While I was out stopped by the grocery and got the necessary things. Kroger in Shelbyville is without heat, so Janet if you go, put on your outdoor clothes, I bout froze in there.
It's going to have to be Frankfort Wally World tonight. Either that or across the road at Krogers. It might be decided on how easy it is to get in and out. I'm trying to get evaluations done so I'm working late this week. I hate those things. They do little or no good.
More snow = more mess and bother.
You people are lucky. Snow there will melt soon, ours will be here until March. About 20" on the ground!
Ground for sale down here all the time Bernie! And a couple of good markets.
You guys sure get your fill of snow up there in MN, we get only a dapple of what you guys get .
Austin s tarted Karate. he really likes it
can't find an electrician to get out here before March :( i m sure we will find someone
we also think propane will be cheaper for a heat source. so we have to figure that cost in to plugged in .
March?
That's crazy.
If Urbana is booked up that far we need to start an electric company up there....lol!
Did you check Springfield? Or Lowe's, they have contractors on call.
He or She are just running a 220 line to the outside not whole wiring a house.
Any Spa company has a guy do that in 1/2 a day tops.
Looks like only a dusting of snow by morning.
Then 3-5" by tomorrow night.
Wrote a couple of notes, did some paperwork, and had my shower. What an exciting night.
I made up a recipe tonight, and it really turned out good. Was the egg noodles, small salad shrimp, sauteed in olive oil, with garlic, salt pepper and paprika added. Mixed it all together and topped it with parmesan cheese. Yum, it was good, and weight watchers thought it was too. Have lost 3.5 pounds, and just starting the 3rd week.
Sue, I can't believe that. I would call Lowe's and ask for a list of their contractors.
Janet, do you all do the cutting of the beef yourself? Or do you have it slaughtered and cut and packaged according to what the customer wants? I am down to round steak on the last beef we killed, I had requested it to be ground, and of course they didn't. I ground some on an old food mill the other day, and made patties, and grilled them on the grill. They were good, but it was pretty hard to grind them with the meat frozen.
Guess I need to ask if anybody has some good recipes using round steak? Pretty please, I only have about 50 pounds of it to use.
OMG, 50 lbs! That's a lot of pot roast and stew and hamburger.
Celene, that is 50 pounds of round steak. Now, dig into your stash of cookbooks, and tell me how I need to cook it, beside chicken fried steak and swiss steak. I don't know of anything else I can do with it, so need some help.
Hamburger Stroganoff? Well-to-do Shepherds Pie? Lotsa lasagna, ravioli, spaghetti sauce with whole lotta meatballs? Vegetable ground beef soup? Taco salad?
I will cut it up in small pieces, put a little water in it just above the meat, put in some sliced carrots and onions, maybe some corn. After it's cooked put a little flour thickening in it for stew. Of course salt to taste.
Bonnie, thaw the meat before you grind it. As far as that goes, I'd thaw it all, grind it and refreeze it as hamburger. I personally have no qualms about refreezing meat as long as it's handled appropriately.
We have to take the calves to Bardstown. That's our closest USDA inspected butcher. We could have it packaged in freezer paper but we've been using the vacuum packed plastic since that gives the customer a chance to see what they're buying. We tell them how we want it cut but half the time they don't listen. We almost flipped the time we told them we wanted 4 ribeyes cut 2 inches thick and they cut all the steaks from one side that way. We finally sold them but it was a while in happening. They're getting a little better about trying to please us. Miranda got some fajita strips and some brats made out of the last calf. We'll see how that goes.
This will be different enough so that it doesn't seem all the same, but not so different it'll freak out people who are not adventurous eaters. You may have seen TV shows with New Jersey "Italians" who pronounce this brazool, which would be braciole, but they're really involtini, which means "bundles". I allow one per person, plus one for sandwiches the next day. They freeze well, so making a lot isn't a bad idea.
I don't use a recipe, because I learned from my nonna.
Slice the meat thinly, and pound it out to about 1/3". I want pieces about 6" square, but it's not critical. Set aside to rest while you make the stuffing. You'll need about 3-4 tablespoons of stuffing per roll.
Stuffing:
bread crumbs, panko is better, but if you can't get them, don't let that stop you. I make my own with stale bread
parmesan cheese, grated (fresh is better)
chopped parsley
couple cloves of minced garlic
sauteed mushrooms (leave them out if you don't like them)
Asiago, provolone or mozzarella cheese--if you like them
Season with salt and pepper
Do you want a slice of prosciutto or salami? Lots of people do. It's your stuffing, make it what you want. I don't chop these, I lay the slices down on the meat before I roll it. Just make sure your stuffing is seasoned correctly, it'll be fine.
Sprinkle stuffing on each slice of meat, leaving about 1/2" on one long side with no stuffing. Starting with the long side that has filling all the way to the edge, and roll as tightly as you can. Don't stress, it's pot roast, not rocket science. Hold the rolls closed with cotton thread around each end and once in the middle, or with toothpicks or skewers. I use cotton cord, toothpicks and skewers always come open. You'll still end up with a decent meat sauce if that happens, don't worry. Repeat rolling with the rest of the pieces of meat.
Brown rolls of meat in a large, deep skillet. Remove the rolls to a plate, and brown some carrot, onions, celery and mushrooms if you like them, maybe green peppers if you want, and red pepper flakes if you like it spicier. Deglaze the pan with a little broth or red wine, and add a 28 oz. can of chopped tomatoes. Add another can of water, it'll be too soupy for now, and that's okay. Add some salt and pepper, a couple cloves of minced garlic, some fresh or dried oregano, basil and parsley, but don't overseason--this will reduce significantly. Turn the heat to low, and add your involtini. Simmer on low for an hour or so, till your meat is fork-tender. At the end, the sauce should be about the texture you'd expect of tomato sauce for pasta, so add water during cooking if necessary, and correct seasoning. If the meat is done and the sauce is too soupy, turn the heat up for a few minutes and reduce the sauce.
Serve with a stubby pasta, like penne or farfalle, tossed with the sauce from the meat. I like to slice the rolls right on the plate, because they look cool that way, and garnish with chopped fresh parsley and freshly grated parmesan.
For sandwiches, heat the rolls in some sauce. While they're heating, cut a loaf of Italian bread in half, then in sandwich-sized pieces. Toast. Take the involtini out of the sauce, remove toothpicks or thread, and slice, and arrange the slices on the bread, throw a slice of mozzarella or provolone on them, and some tomato sauce.
It sounds more complicated than it is, I promise. I make 30 at a time, and freeze them (cooked), they're good to thaw and heat for a quick meal. Make sure everyone knows to remove the thread or toothpicks! I remove them in the kitchen, but it's up to you.
the 1/4 beef we got this year was such a dissapointment . we have this crazy bone in steak ? i think its a should peice and its worthless !!! tried slow cookier, tried to fry it , tried to make broth with it , just to fatty and ain't got no beef , just worthless . i m so PO'd about the cuts of meat we got . the cut that is a pot roast is all fat , i trimmed what i could off and it was a 50 fat .
No wonder our nation is so fat ?
i felt like a paid for fat then i did for beef ?
Your lucky KY that you get freezer wrapped. Our butcher won't do it. When i asked for a leaner ground beef they didn't do it. They just don't like custom orders i guess. So we won't be going to them anymore.
cold and no snow ? kids had cancelled school today why ? no idea.
bummer
It's been a long time for me, but when we had cows butchered, they were our cows, but they were cut pretty much the way my father asked and came back wrapped. The only thing, the hamburger wasn't in patties, and my father wanted half of it in patties, which became my job. Oh yea, send the vegetarian to be elbow-deep in burger for a day, lol.
Gosh, when you ask for help here, it is quick in coming. Celene, I have copied that recipe and will try it. Sounds really good. Janet, yours too.
This was a beef we raised, and we know it was not given antibiotics, and fed on corn and grain. So it is very good tasting meat, hardly any fat at all, just had a problem with them packaging it as I wanted. Now, I will have some other ways to try to use it all.
Snowing like it has to here. Big fat fluffy flakes, they are predicting 4-5 inches, but it will have to snow a long time to get that.
well our snow is here.
i would love to raise a calf for our meat . Its just our butchers are so hard headed in doing it there way . People around here in my parts don't take kindly to new comers making changes.
So we just decided to get the cuts we like already done at the butchers and not worry about doing a 1/4 side . it all is the same amount spent. But we will get better cuts for the money. i like roast i can do so much more with them stretching them out.
stay warm everyone
Bill and I talked about raising a calf once....Bill said it would be the only "beef" cow to die of old age, cause I'd make it a pet....he's probably right, too!!
Snow looks pretty, but I'm glad to be inside. I did go out yesterday to give plasma. It was okay on the roads. My DIL slid into a sewer culvert. (Or whatever those thingies are called) and she had to have her car towed. She was on her way to a Dr. appt. It was her birthday yesterday, too. :o( Bummer
Paul is rather pleased today. He sold two of the biggest briskets that we had in the freezer to someone that wanted to barbeque them. I found a recipe for corned beef but I've got to find some saltpeter. I haven't looked yet so I don't know how hard it would be to find. I could order some on line but would like to find it here if I could.
I think the kids will go to school tomorrow. Kate's ready. She's cleaning out my fridge and doing some housework for me so she doesn't have to be outside. Suits me totally. It's been a while since that icebox has seen some cleaning.
Brrrr, I am ready for spring. Where is it?
I am cooking supper, cooked some pinto beans today, so have some ham to go with it, and the cornbread is in the oven. Pretty simple meal, but we like it.
Congrats to Paul for that big sale. Wish I knew where you could find the saltpeter, but have no idea.
Sue, I guess the kids are out of school too.
Joyce, you cannot even be around a beef that is for the purpose of eating. I can't, as when I try to eat it, I see the big brown eyes. Just me, I think.
DGD called today, bored, as she was home for the 2nd day today. She said the way her road looked probably wouldn't go tomorrow either.