Shelby

Thank you, Smithy Hopefully I will do better about taking pictures of everything today. I get scatter-brained with even just one extra person around. Salsa was made from tomatoes from the garden. I've been hoarding them to make sure we had some for this visit. It's so easy I don't want to tell you lol. Simply chopped up 'maters, fresh cilantro, chopped up onions, chopped up jalapeños, salt, garlic, cumin and a squirt of fresh lime juice. I don't like to make it too far ahead of time because it tastes best when it hasn't been in the fridge...but I let it sit on the counter a bit for the flavors to meld. The hatch went into the filling and the sauce for the top. It used up quite a bit of my stash...I need to order more next year because I use them so much. I really don't think he would care if I didn't clean as much. Trust me, by the time he leaves there will be the usual suspects of cat hair tumbleweeds rolling around. I think Saturday will be "game" night. As in, eating a lot of game. I have a rabbit in the freezer that he wants me to fry up and then pressure cook. Among other things. Hmmm....good idea about the custard. I think I'm like you. I don't really crave the flavor of the chick. broth with pumpkin. YES, the raccoons definitely drag the pumpkins off. But they only take a few bites and then leave the poor half-eaten carcass laying in the yard. Sigh. Thanks, Anna I'm off to a slow start this morning. Guys got up at 5:30, ate their breakfast sandwiches (I really need to come up with something different to make them but the sandwiches are so easy for me) and left to go dove and teal hunting. I stay up in our bedroom so that I don't scare our guest with my just-out-of-bed look lol. Also, I like to corral my cats in there with me. My poor boys hate it when someone besides us is here. Freaks them out. Anyway, I finally went back to sleep for a bit. Now, I up drinking iced coffee. Hopefully it gives me a little jump-start.

Hi Suzi my friend I just love hearing about your bird adventures and your mom. God, I'm tired. It's weird how much just one extra person does me in....don't get me wrong, I love him to death. I guess I'm just getting older. I really am not sure what we're going to see in the next few days. I've given the instructions that they are to take pictures. And, while we're at it, they are already excited about blogging during deer season So, this afternoon I made bread to make breakfast sandwiches out of (damn if I didn't already screw up and forgot to take pics of the finished sandwiches). You've seen them in years past. Toasted bread, cheese, egg and ham this time. I'll take pics tomorrow. Anyway, here's the bread which you've seen before ( and damn again I LOVE MY STEAM OVEN) To back up, here's the small pickage from today in the garden Now fast forward..... Salsa---Before I knew it they had eaten this mostly all up with some tortilla chips. It smelled good.... And black beans and rice (both made in the instant pot) and hatch chile pork enchiladas. All got rave reviews. But, I think they were so tired they would have eaten anything and been happy lol. I'm now listening to 80's music and cleaning up. With another glass of wine. I'll see ya'll in the morning thanks for reading

Yes, I have a lot of okra this summer. I think I have canned 12 pints of pickled okra so far?

So, I jinxed myself. They wanted lunch lol. Smoked and SV'd turkey breast on homemade bread with a coveted tomato from the garden. My pickles and okra. And a bag of chips. Yep. Super fancy.

Steak night

So, I spent yesterday scrubbing the house. My house is clean but I use our guest for motivation to actually move the heavy furniture and clean underneath lol. Since it's close enough, I put out all of the fall/Halloween decor. Ronnie picked all of the pumpkins that were ready. Have a few more out there that are green yet. I made a lot of pumpkin soup last year out of our pumpkins. It's still in the freezer. Sigh. I need to eat it, I guess. Maybe I'll try to make pumpkin butter.....or maybe I'll just chuck them out in the pumpkin patch and let them grow next year lol. I made a couple loaves of white sandwich bread day before yesterday in case they pop in for lunches. They usually don't but I like to be prepared like the boy scouts. Just got these eggs out of the Instant Pot. One exploded. Cooks treat. I'll make deviled eggs at some point and also put some on a salad. I need to make more come to think of it. And, I did a pork roast in the slow cooker a couple days ago. Tons of Hatch chiles and onions in there. I'm going to make enchiladas for tonight. I have some Rancho Gordo black beans soaking, too. So, that catches us up to right now. I'm getting ready to go pick the garden and do some last minute cleaning stuff. I'll be back in a bit

Good morning! I decided to add a little more crazy to this week and do a blog. As you guys know (or some of you know), we have a friend that comes at least once a year and stays with us. He's a very good guest--along with hunting he usually helps Ronnie with some of the more major difficult chores around here. Last year he even hung storm windows on every window in the house. Not a small task. Anyway, he arrives this morning and will be here until Sunday afternoon. I'm going to send a camera along with them with strict instructions to snap photos of their adventures going after birds. It's dove and teal (duck) season now. And, there might be some river fishing thrown in, too. There will be a lot of cooking going on. So, since I'm alone in the kitchen putzing around, I figure I'll take you guys along with me . PS: Our guest will be returning the first week of December for deer season (and goose etc.) so maybe we will lock this blog until then and open it back up. I've promised for years to post pictures of cutting up deer. Maybe this will be the year I get it done lol.

What was done if two or more men or two or more women were dining together? Everyone gets a menu with a price? I do think I would feel a little swept off of my feet if I were taken to a restaurant like that....or maybe not. I think I would still scan the menu and try not to pick something too expensive (if this was when I was dating....now, if my husband took me? all bets are off, I'm going for the works lol).

Well, it looks good!

Needed something quick and easy. Hotdog night. I was so tired that I think I forgot the ketchup lol. I hope you and your husband feel better soon, TFTC!

Hot wings

I've done it both ways (simply because I wasn't sure how much I was going to use for dinner one night) and have never noticed a difference. So, yep, easy peasy. I take it out and let it thaw and come to room temp. It gets a little puffy.

More teal hunting yesterday. Breasts, livers and hearts

NICE!!! I'm buying one of those pressure canners soon. Just haven't pulled the trigger. Going to try canning some venison.

Ronnie went fishing again behind the house. Came home with a drum or two. I steamed them in the CSO with a bit of olive oil brushed on and some cajun seasoning. Twas my first time ever steaming fish. We really liked it. So tender. Shrimp alfredo over zoodles, too.

Beggars can't be choosers.....I'm getting some (very) small tomatoes. This is my biggest harvest this year (sigh). They don't taste quite....right. I can't describe it. I know it has to be the lateness of their ripening. They are still good, though. Underneath is a ton of okra. I've canned like 16 pints of pickled okra. Good stuff. I also froze some that has cornmeal already on it --that will be a treat in the winter. And the squash are still going strong so that makes me happy

I'm reading this at 6:30 in the morning after getting my husband out the door to go hunting. Laying next to me are two soggy kleenexes from all the crying I just did. You are an amazing writer and your life experiences are just....I have no words. I kind of think you and Natasha should have gotten married......oh my I think this would make quite the movie. You should write a book. Seriously. I know how hard it is to take pictures and write when you're visiting but I do hope that you are able to post some when you get back to China. I know your mom is probably beside herself with excitement. And your son and daughter, too.

I knew I liked you!

Yeah, that pasta is amazing. I'm having some serious envy. They look like wheat berries but that can be right......... Are they grape seeds???

I'm the same way pumpkin-wise. My tomatoes are green green green but I have about 15 pumpkins that are ready to go. Very strange.

Damn it, the cheese isn't melted.

Got another shipment of boudin in from my favorite place so we had to have breakfast last night. Eggs were done in the Instant Pot.

Good idea about the towel. Adopting that for next time. You will love the salad....just let it sit for a bit...I let mine sit for about an hour and drain it along the way. I think I drain 2-3 times.

Boy they are pretty. I still see a tinge of red....ok ok pink...in there. Phew! I feel better. As a tomato-less person I was having palpitations over you tossing them lol.

Thank you! I don't know how we ate turkey before I learned to SV lol. The zucchini is just thinly sliced on my new mandolin (yes, I've cut my thumb twice now) and simply tossed with fresh lemon juice and salt. It's seriously SO good. It sounds too simple to be good, but I swear it is.