At Home in Wyoming

Hello Dolly

 
This photograph was taken at Beck Lake, one of the little parks within the city limits of Cody.  Past this clearing the weeds were all mashed down...which means that the deer have been bedding down here at night.  I wouldn't mind bedding down here myself...it looks so cozy!

I wanted to do something nice for my husband today, because he fixed my vacuum cleaner by finding a big ole plug of dog hair that was stuck in a place where I couldn't find it.

I have a dog, it is shedding season...enough said.  I cannot function without that vacuum cleaner.  Dog owners out there will know what I mean.

Anyway, one of his favorite treats (my husband, not my dog) are the Hello Dolly Bars at Peter's Cafe.  So I hunted around and found a recipe and made them today.

They are easy, easy, easy...so I thought I would pass this along.

 

HELLO DOLLY BAR COOKIES

1 stick butter, melted

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup chocolate chips (I used the miniature ones)

1 cup chopped pecans (I used walnuts just because it was what I had, and I liked it better than pecans)

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

 

Preheat over to 350 degrees

Mix the melted butter and the graham cracker crumbs and press firmly into an 8 inch square pan

Add the flaked coconut and spread over the graham cracker crust, then do a layer of chocolate chips, and then a layer of nuts.

Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top.

Bake 30 minutes.  Cool in pan.  Cut into squares.

 

My husband liked them even better than Peter's 'Hello Dolly' bars, and almost as much as his eclairs.

I said almost. 

I have never yet found anything better than Peter's chocolate eclairs, and would never be able to top them, no matter how much dog hair he drags out of that old vacuum!

 

Tea To Go

 
In the summer we are big ice tea drinkers.

Huge.

We hardly ever go anywhere...from the front porch to the store or to ride the horse...without a glass of ice tea.

So this summer I gave up drinking tea from glasses, and switched to canning jars.  Kerr to be exact, but the Ball jars are my favorites.

In fact, I packed all my glasses away, and have taken to drinking even my milk from jars.

It's easier that way.

Here is the best part.

 
Canning jars gave lids!  So if we are going on a road trip I can pack a bunch of jars full of tea in the cooler, and we are good to go.

Plus canning jars come in pint and quart sizes, quarts for the big drinkers.  I like the pint jars because they fit perfectly in the vehicle cup holders.

I guess that is all that I have to say about that, I am off to pour myself a jar.

Tea, anyone?

Snapping Green Beans

 
No occupation is more conducive to relaxation then snapping green beans on a drowsy midsummer afternoon.  Much less work then shelling peas (too much work with too little to show for it) green bean snapping just sort of lends itself to quiet contemplation.  Think a little, snap a little, pray a little...and when you are through you have a clear perspective, and green beans ready for the pot.  (We like ours sauteed with a little butter and onion after boiling them).  

Green beans, corn on the cob, icy cold watermelon, bing cherries and juicy ripe tomatoes...don't forget to taste summer.  Because darn it, winter will be back before you know it!

 

Good Recipes

 

I tried to get all artsy and on a snowy day took a picture from the outside of the room that I use for a library...looking in.  But all I can see in this photo is a window frame that is SORELY in need of a coat of paint!  It is at times like this when I am so glad that it is still winter, and outdoor chores are months away...

My mother is a great cook, and an inspired baker.  I can use one of her recipes and follow it exactly, but my attempts to duplicate her cooking are mediocre at best.  So I am always looking for ways to improve.

I stumbled upon this website one day when I was looking for a recipe for egg salad for sandwiches.  It is called, "How To Cook Like Your Grandmother" and you can get the blog entries of recipes sent directly to your email.  The address is http://cooklikeyourgrandmother.com or just google it by searching for How To Cook Like Your Grandmother.

What I like about this blog is that the recipes are relatively easy, and there are step by step pictures in case you get sidetracked.  For us visual learners, the pictures are a big deal.

The recipe up for today is "Deconstructed Cannoli for Valentine's Day".  The only thing that I know about cannoli is that I heard them mentioned in the "Godfather" movie...but if I can figure out where to buy pizzelles I just might give them a try! DLB

 

Soup, Anyone?

I apologize in advance for the blurry picture of antelope running...mule deer almost stop and pose for pictures, but antelope seem to be more skittish.  I wanted to include this picture for my eastern readers that have never seen antelope in the wild...

It sounds like our string of beautiful days is coming to an end...the breeze outside is getting more insistent and the sky is darkening.  I heard that there is a storm advisory in Yellowstone, and snow showers are not impossible today in Cody.  Which means it will be a good day for soup!

I am not so good at New Year's resolutions, but come Fall I try to think of something new to add to my life.  It probably stems from that 'back-to-school' mentality...Fall means a new start because change is in the air.  So I started thinking about what I could do this next year that would be fun, or enriching, or both.  And this Fall I decided that I would become a better cook, and I am going to start with soup.

I never cook soup.  I usually just get a can of something, heat it up and we have soup.  But last year I read the autobiography of Julia Child about her life in France, and went to the movie Julie & Julia a few weeks ago.  It was fascinating to see how the art of cooking completely changed two lives...cooking became their passion.

So in honor of Julia Child, I am going to make homemade soup once a week.  Not French soup, not gourmet soup, just plain old American soup or chowder.  It should be fun to go to the library and get recipes, and have a soup pot where I can use all those leftover bits and pieces of carrots and onions, instead of letting them become moldy in the refrigerator.  This resolution may actually become a lesson in frugality...using every last bit of something.

I am not expecting that making soup once a week will change my life in a big way...I don't like cooking all that much, which is probably why I am not very good at it.  I am looking for smaller rewards...like the smell of soup cooking when I come in the door, and being able to offer my husband something for lunch that doesn't come from a can.  Something nourishing.  Something good.

Sometimes there are big things in your life that you want to change, but can't.  Maybe you don't have the will, or the change would involve someone in your family who is not yet willing to change.  BUT I have found that small changes can enrich your life while the tough things are being worked out.  Small changes can add joy.  Simple things like resolving to meet with a friend for a cup of coffee once a month, or writing one letter a month to a friend or family member that you have lost touch with, or taking a daily walk through a park...or even making a pot of soup.  The possibilities are endless.

Soup, anyone?  DLB

 

 

 

First Nibble

 

Although I had to turn the furnace on this morning (night time temperature dipped into the lower 50's, and it looks like upper 40's tonight or tomorrow night), it is time to enjoy some of the first fruits from the garden...namely the prolific zucchini.  If you look closely, you can see one ready to be picked, along side a bunch of weeds and...could that be a seedling hollyhock growing in the middle of it?  Past time to get the hoe out!

My family likes fried zucchini, and instead of just dipping them in bread crumbs to fry, I use the mixture below...which I originally used on fried scallops, but found it works great with zucchini and fried green tomatoes:  1 egg slightly beaten in one bowl, and 1/3 cup mashed potato flakes, 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper mixed together in the other bowl.  Dip the zuke in the egg mixture first, and then in the potato mixture.  Fry and enjoy!  DLB

                                                                                                                

A Perfect Day for Calico Beans

I have had my furnace on since the last day of August.  It has been downright chilly and sometimes even cold, but today it is clear and in the 70's.  A virtual heat wave!

I have begun to decorate my house for the Fall season.  You can't really see it in this picture, but tucked around the autumn leaves on top of the piano are tiny little orange lights.  At night, they make the room look really cozy and cheerful...sort of like candy corn for the eyes!

Today is the perfect day for Calico Beans.  My husband loves this recipe.  I love that it is easy to make...

                               Calico Beans

1 lb. hamburger

1/4 lb. bacon

1 medium onion, diced

1 large can of pork and beans

1 can butter beans

1 can kidney beans

1/2 cup catsup

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

Brown burger and onion in skillet.  Drain.  Cook bacon.

Combine meat and all beans.  Pour into a greased casserole.

Combine catsup, brown sugar, vinegar and salt.  Pour over the meat and beans.

Bake at 350 for one hour.

I usually just dump all this in the crockpot instead of a casserole to cook, and it tastes just as good if not better.  Have a great weekend!  DLB