snowangel

Me, too. I used to make a good hummus. Now, I follow your guidelines, notorious stickler. This recipe reminds me of a lunch I had many years ago at the late, great New French Cafe in Minneapolis. It was a salad, and when my co-worker and I quizzed the server about it, she stated "it is a three day garlic commitment." Sure enough, when Paul picked me up from work that day, and gave me a quick kiss in the car, his comment was "so just what did you have for lunch today." Said co-worker, also picked up from work by hubby, reported exactly the same thing. Garlic is good. In the same league as Bacon or Pork Fat.

John, this is not at a "lower level of seriousness." In the same vein, but conversely, some people have heightened scent and taste sensations. We will be visiting this topic on Day III of this "clinic." Suffice to say, with one pregnancy, my sense of smell of extremely exacerbated and "off" and because of this, I could hardly eat, and it almost cost us the health and well-being of an unborn child. This is just an example of how the topic of disabilities can affect anyone -- permanently, long-term or short term. And, Kim, do stop by tomorrow. I think you will find it more than worthwhile. Specialteach has some great things to offer, and I hope I do, as well. Finally, I would like to say that it has been a lot of work to prepare for this class -- both in terms of time and emotionally (we have bared a lot, personally). But, ECI has offered so much to me that it seemed liked I was giving far less than had been given. And, I must add that I don't think any of us could ask for a greater audience.

Thanks for returning this thread to the top. Glad I started it. Yes, IMHO, it is all about those frayed bits. I bet my kids grow up not even knowing about the frayed bits. And, my former and absolutely wonderful Mexican neighbors marinated everything in Lime and Tequila. Pork shoulder is cheap right now. I think carnits are on the menu VERY soon. 'Twin give me a good excuse to head to the Mercado for freshly made torillas (like a few minutes before I buy them) and a bowl of muendo.

Glad to hear you are back in the game. I'm not at all familiar with that area, but will make some inquiries, and perhaps Betts has some suggestions? Assume this precludes Suzette which is on 169 just south of Jordan on the east side of 169? I have missed your reviews. Still doing MIX? Anything online with MIX? If not, and if you are still doing MIX, can you copy from your copy and post here?

As my most wonderful grandmother and her other farm-wife friends will attest, the deep freeze liberated them more than the vote. Yes, right into the freezer they went. No longer was my grandmother standing over a hot, steamy stove on a hot steamy night canning tomatoes once they could afford a deep freeze. I don't necessarily bother with the ziplock bags. I just use those plastic bags from the market and Target that seem to breed on their own. Since the sharpie market is velcroed to the freezer, it is easy to remember to label them.

They also need warmth. Living in MN, I know that they don't do squat until nighttime and daytime temps are pretty consistently above 55-60 degrees.

Check out RecipeGullet for side recipes. There are many great ones posted. I often make Black Bean and Rice Salad for bbq-ey type gatherings. You can make it ahead of time, and unlike baked potatos, requires no condiments or guest prep. Quantity: more ribs, less chicken. And, for the chicken, I'd be tempted to go with legs/thighs and less breasts. And, I know that at least here, the leg/thigh quarters are often on sale for less than $.50/lb. And, about BBQ sauce on a wedding dress. A few years ago, I attended a party at which the women were asked to wear the most abhorent bridesmades dresses they owned. Hostess served enough gooey, sloppy food that we all had a good excuse to finally pitch the offending dresses that were taking up valuable closet space.

Yes, they are waders. They are handy to have around, at least at a cabin like ours. Being that Paul is kind of a cold water wimp, I took the leaky pair. They have a neat little pocket in the front, inside, at the top so one has a place for the socket and crescent wrenches and the nuts and bolts. Just make sure you drop these things into the pocket, not the waders themselves, because it's a bitch to get them out of the feet. And, be prepared, when you wear them for that tight feeling that comes with the water pressure as you wade in. This was the first year neither one of us dropped a nut or bolt into the lake, which is really unfortunate. Hands are already almost numb from the water and cold metal, and I inevitably end up with arm in the water, a little too low, with water rushing into the waders. I think I need to ask Paul for a new pair for my birthday or our anniversary (so romantic). Although Paul thinks I'm pretty fetching in my waders, he did mention that I was even more fetching in my bathing suit.

No fish. Not just us, either. Not even any bites. But, we have a whole summer to fish. And, it is fun to go fishing whether we catch fish or not. And, I love the wafflemaker. It's great. Faster than an electric home model, and like I said, recovery time is instant. Low tech is good.

They say you can never go home again. So, with this in mind, as we get to that final mile before the cabin, it is not only with excitement, but a bit of anxiety that we round the bend. I have been going to the cabin since 1977, and my kids since they were weeks or months old, and every time, we do go home again. The day dawned cloudy and the weather report looked less than promising. Although we had intended to leave before 8:00 am, we did not pull out until 8:20 am. I had forgotten to get the coffee pot ready the night before, and determined that yes, a shower would be a part of the morning. So, a quick blast under the water, pack the cooler, get juice for the kids, meds for Heidi, and we were off. First stop was in Hinkley for breakfast at White Castle. Paul and Diana ran in and got 16 sliders, one large order of fries, 2 orders of onion chips and two large cokes. We ate and drove (actually, Paul drove and ate, the rest of us just ate). 4 sliders is my limit, especially when accompanied by a lot of fries and onion chips. Next stop in Cloquet at the Lemon Tree for vodka and tonic (we had lemons and limes). Next stop was in Cook at Northwoods Bait for bait. The line was so long that we got back on the road and stopped at Anderson Bait in Orr for bait and a fishing license. While Paul did that, I stopped at the grocery for milk, ice and eggs. When I pack the cooler, I always line the bottom with the frozen stuff, a layer of newspaper and then the non-frozen items so I don’t need to use ice. But, I want ice when I get there. And so we always stop for these things; they just plain take up too much cooler space. Then it’s a quick trip up Highway 53 to the gravel road that leads to our jeep trail. This picture is taken at the beginning of our jeep trail. It keeps the riff-raff out. The road improves to this, and gets more wooded as we proceed. Then, we keep our eyes out for the marsh marigolds. We only saw one in bloom; things are behind this year, the rest were just budding. Nor did we see the normal “blush of green” on the trees. It is a late spring up here. We keep our eyes peeled, looking for birds, signs of deer, and all of the things we know on this road like the back of our hand. Then, we are there! The first thing I do is jump out of the car and run to the deck. This is what I saw. Then, it’s time for a cocktail before we get to work. The next order of business is to turn on the LP gas tank (250 gallon permanent tank) and get the Servel fridge started and light the pilots on the stove. Usually, we leave the food in the cooler until the fridge has cooled down, but since it was about 40 degrees in the cabin, I went ahead and loaded up the fridge. The kids race around the cabin checking out their favorite things and spots, and head outside and run to the point. Meantime, Paul has built a fire in the soapstone stove. The cabin is cold. It is 40 degrees inside, only 44 outside. That means that everything in the cabin is 40 degrees. The floor. The interior of the cupboards. The core of the mattresses. The toilet paper. Everything. A quick perusal of the cupboards revealed that the staples we have left are in good shape, all except the unopened little jar of mayo. This is what mayo looks like after a winter in a cabin that has probably seen 50 degrees below zero. Our friends (my closes friend, her husband and two kids) arrive about 6:30, and it’s time for the kids to race around, and dinner. Since we are all at the end of the week, Susan and I have decided on an appetizery meal. Veggies and spinach dip (homemade); scallops two ways (plain seared, and marinated in chili garlic sauce and seared); a couple of pounds of cooked, peeled, tail on shrimp and a jazzed up cocktail sauce; AlexP’s wonderful White Gazpacho; tapenade and Breadsmith baguettes; Maida Heatter’s Pecan Passion Bars. Cocktails and white wine for the adults, root beer for the kids. Games of Uno and Milles Bornes for the kids, lots of telling stories and talking politics for the adults. At midnight, we all pour into bed. Although the day dawns sunny, no one stirs until about 9:00 am. Then, it is strong coffee before breakfast, which was 2 lbs. of great breakfast sausages (from the Miltona meat market; they are our favorite breakfast sausages), waffles on my Nordicware stovetop waffle makers (I have two up there), juice and milk. Either butter and syrup or yogurt with fresh sliced strawberries to top the waffles. These wafflemakers are great if you have a gas stove. Recovery time is almost instant. Kids race. Boys (big and small) fish. Susan and I get put recliners out, wrap up in blankets and knit, talk, work crossword puzzles. Heidi bops here and there. Lunch is cut up veggies; fruit (including a great yellow watermelon); sandwiches with deli meat, assorted breads, 3 different mustards, hellman’s. Snacks include more fruit, veggies and chips and salsa. Purchased salsa because we’re lazy and real tomatoes are not yet available. Susan and I decide it’s time for gin and tonics. Here is a picture of the kitchen. On either side of the corner cupboard, you will note the Humphrey gas lights. They, too, work off of the LP gas tank. We do have a small generator (Honda), which we rarely use because it’s noisy. Turning around, here is a picture of the living/dining room area. Paul is reading on the green chair. Out the door is a screen porch with roll-up canvas shades to protect the room when it storms. It is cold enough that we have not opened them. There are also two bedrooms; one with a queen-sized bed and one with a bunk bed (double-bed sized bunks). BTW, by now, the cabin is about 80 degrees. All that fire, cooking, breathing and kids running around. Paul and I walk the road, and there is a neighbor with a spare pair of waders (we only have one pair). It is time to put the dock in. Paul wants to wait. He’s a water wimp. I am not. Without the dock, it is not right. So waders on, we take our version of the American Gothic photo. Yes, this is food related. Without my cup o at the end of the dock in the am, my day is not right. The dock goes from the shore to the first rock (you’ll see that later). As Paul and I start to haul the 16’ aluminum frame sections out, I hear Susan say “I think this is like wallpapering. Something people married to each other shouldn’t do together.” Not to worry. Paul and I have been doing this together for more years than we have had children. There is nary a cross word that passes our lips. We work in sync. I can handle a socket and adjustable crescent wrench like a pro. Later, you will see the fruits of this numbing experience. I, being the braver of the two water-wise, gets the “seepy” pair of waders. My undies and socks are soaked. It is cold. My hands are beyong numb. Soon it’s time for the final meal of the day. Dinner. Here is a picture. We have turned the generator on (and the radio up to drwon out the sound of said generator) so that we can see to cut meat for the younger ones. Lots of people around a little table. Since we don’t have enough chairs, two children share seating on a Rubbermaid ActionPacker. Great for haulting stuff. Dinner was beef (black and blue on the grill), roasted new potatoes from the farmer’s market, roasted cauliflower, green beans with lemon juice and kosher salt, pinot noir (they took the recycling, so don’t remember what). For dessert, Susan and Nick make a dish of strawberries mascerated in balsamic topped with marscapone and whipped cream, garnished with lemon zest. Everything except dessert is minimally garnished and served family style. Oh, I did sautee a mess of shallots with a variety of mushrooms, deglazed with some of the pinot. Beef seasoned heavily with cracked black pepper. We play cards. We talk. Kids “roast” marshmallows over the gas burners for s’mores. The kids start to nod, Terry takes out his guitar, and after a round of Puff the Magic Dragon and Trout Fishing in America’s “Lullaby,” they are out, and it’s the adults on the dock, shivering, telling yet more stories, quick trips to the outhouse and the Sandman for all. Sunday morning dawns cloudy and I don’t want to get up. But the waft of coffee and the promise of Bacon gets my sorry ass out of bed, dressed and going. Bacon and buttermilk pancakes, juice and milk. The day improves. The sun keeps peeking through more and more. There is a breeze, but barely. I finish knitting that square for the quilt. The call of the bathing suit is strong. Very strong. But, I steel myself with a cocktail for the water. The ice has only been out for about three weeks. So, on it goes. I’m not alone. But, I am the first one in. Victory! Yes, that is me, arms raised, in the red/white stripped bikini. You can see the dock in it's full glory. Passing fisherperson’s (donned in parka’s) think we’re crazy. They holler out that the SURFACE temp of the water is 46. I lie on the dock (face down, head hung over dock), saucepan on one hand and douse my head. Shampoo. Soap under the pits. I've learned that if you soap up, you have no choice but to go in. In the lake. Three steps and I’m all the way in. Quick swim back to the dock. On the dock. Towel in hand. The water is almost numbing. It is so good. I love it. In I go again. And again. And once again, for good measure. It’s out for all of us. Bathing suits off, clothes on. Suits and towels drapped over the railings of the deck. Sandwiches and the last of the White Gazpacho and fruit. Susan and family pack it up. Paul and I start cleaning. That last load of dishes. Sweeping. Counters. Pack it all up. I go out onto the deck for a last smoke and look. I am often seen at this same place for many, many moments every summer. No boats. Clothes off. In water. We load up the car. Load in the kids. Just a few miles down the road, all three kids are asleep. Paul and I note along with the beautiful day, the "blush of green" has incrased. I nod off a bit later. We are all dreaming of the same thing. The coming season. So, we have eaten good food. The kids have raced around. We have played cards. We have done crossword puzzles. We have told stories. We knit. We cooked. We hugged and kissed and breathed all in a small space. We have listened to KAXE and great tunes. We have played musical instruments and sang. We did not talk on the phone. We did not shop. We did not use a washing machine. Summer is here. My life is so wonderful. Come the end-of-the-school-year, our Cabin schedule will be dictated by weather and nothing more. We are really, really lucky. Home is still home. The players on Our Side of the Lake have changed (at 46, we're the "old timers"), but things are still the same. No commercial improvements. Just a good life, lived simply and in tune to what is happening outside. Look for the next installment In Our Adventure in just about two weeks.

The Bronco is packed, except for the cooler. The kids are in bed; not asleep, but twitching with anticipation. We are all more than ready. It has been a long and hard winter for our family. Lots of changes. Take-off prior to 8:00 am. Breakfast at the White Castle in Hinkley. We will dine well tomorrow night on the deck at The Cabin. It will be The Best Meal Of The Year, at least for our family.

Thanks, Liz, for the links and book recommendations. I do think I just flat need some serious musing in the yard once the trees are fully leafed and much will be revealed. How did you remove your arborvitae?

This is where Klink gets invited!

Oh, I will garden. I will move some of the perennials from the old place to this place. I need to spend more time outside observing, watching the light and how we live in this yard to I can put things in the right place (both for light and mood). What's been so hard this spring is that up here, it's dicey to put out vegetables and annuals before Memorial Day weekend. So, I have relied on my perennial gardens to feed that spring soul. I have missed so much getting the kids off to school in the morning and racing out to the gardens with cup of coffee in hand to see just what has poked it's head up. Although I've been very busy stripping wallpaper, etc., my mornings feel so empty without the joy of poking in the dirt to get a good look. Two years ago, I gave a couple of good friends slips of overcrowded flowers, and I have been living vicariosly though them as they call and let me know how my progeny is doing.

Don't let people who don't know where stuff goes in your kitchen unload the dishwasher and put the stuff away. And, once again, don't pull a pan out of the oven without a potholder. [Moderator note: The original I will never again . . . topic became too large for our servers to handle efficiently, so we've divided it up; the preceding part of this discussion is here: I will never again . . . (Part 1)]

I was just about to look for this thread! Not much happening here, nor will much happen this year. We moved this winter, and had not seen the house before December (no leaves, lots of snow). The yard itself is sort of a disaster (as sort of was the house). While the former owners didn't abuse the place, they just didn't do squat. Nada. Zilch. Except leave piles of leaves, a bag or two of doggie do, and never pruned anything. So, first order of business was chain to the back end of my Ford Bronco to yank over 40' of way overgrown, half dead arborvitae, so we could see the front of the house and emit light into same. I'm going to get someone in to remove the what must be over 2 tons of rock in the front. I'm contemplating where to do what in the back yard, but since the ash tree is just starting to leaf, it's too early. I will find a place to heel in a few tomato plants and some herbs, but just may take is easy on the gardening front this summer, as there is are a myriad of inside things that must be done, and the season for The Cabin starts Friday morning. I may also plant some pole beans up the posts of the deck. Otherwise, I think I'll veggie at the farmer's market. And, at our old house, I had hundreds of perennials. We did write into the purchase agreement that we can go back in June and take what we want. I won't decimate those flower beds; they were overcrowded and this was to be my year to thin things out, so this will be good. I am aching to get dirt under my nails. But, I don't trust planting anything until Memorial Day weekend or the weekend following that.

Decided that I would also make larb (pork) at The Cabin. It seems like larb time again, but then again for me, almost any time is larb time. Trust and assume that my toasted rice and fish sauce wintered well in the far north -- they were frozen for a few months.

Now my Aunt Linda isn't a bad cook, she just isn't really a cook. I remember well a Thanksgiving at her house. We asked what we could bring, and she said "don't worry, I'll take care of it all." We should have remembered. We had turkey. Oh, and brown-and-serve rolls. After the turkey, she remembed she was going to do mashed potatoes and then she remembered that she had some frozen mixed veggies in the freezer. Thank goodness my grandmother had remembered to make a couple of pies. BTW, Linda did remember to take the turkey out of the plastic bag. Thankfully, the gizzard, heart, liver and neck were in one of those paper things, not plastic, tucked inside.

Hillvalley, the radio station we listen to, KAXE (www.kaxe.org) is far more than adequate. This station is driven by the various show hosts, not ratings or corporate. It is wonderful. We hear line-ups of tunes that no other radio station would dare touch. Reminder, we do have running water. Paul or me running to the lake with an empty bucket to fill up! We do bring drinking water from home. Menus. We will be going up with my best friend (we met at St. Olaf College in 1975) and her family. So, there will be us 5 and their 4. Susan and I work well together on food, and our kids are all "good eaters." We do leave some food up there all of the time -- the flour, sugar, etc. all winter over very well, as does mustard, olive oil, some spices, etc. Sure the stuff froze over the winter, but that's OK. I have a master list of things I bring up every Opening weekend, and have learned to make a list of what needs to be brought up the next time and I keep this list in the glove box of my vehicle so I actually remember to bring it up. The cabin is well stocked. We have stuff like curry paste, fish sauce, several kinds of vinegar and mustards, etc. We may be roughing it on the electricity/water front, but not on the food front. So, for this weekend we are planning: Breakfasts: Bacon (lots of really good bacon). Pancakes one morning, waffles the other. Although we don't have electricity, we do have two really neat stove stop waffle makers. Scrambled eggs or fried eggs (Heidi really likes an over easy egg on her pancakes or waffles). The waffle makers areNordicware waffle maker. No breakfast happens, naturally, until I have had a cup of coffee on the deck or dock. Probably the deck the first morning since we will not brave the cold water until fortified to put the dock in. Lunches. Cheese, bread, venison sausage, veggies, fruit. Sort of a do-it-yourself-when-you-want affair. Dinners. Since we will arrive on Friday before dinner, Susan and I have decided to do an appetizery dinner. Scallops, marinated in chili garlic sauce, skewered, and grilled. AlexP's divine White Gazpacho (we'll have Diana and Nick peel the grapes). Tapanade. Bread. Chips/salsa. Beer and gin and tonics, naturally. Saturday night: Either ribeyes or NY strips (whatever looks better at Susan's local meat market), the cold asparagus from Barbara Tropp's Modern Art of Chinese Cooking, green beans (steamed with lemon juice and kosher salt), bread. Susan and Nick will do dessert. Something with strawberries, balsamic vinegar, marscapone and whipped cream. Wine and cocktails. The only mystery is just how cold the water will be when I don bikini to help Paul put the dock in (he wears the waders, I am the Brave One) and weather I will do more than just wade into to put in the dock. Will I be brave enough for a quick dip and hair wash? How warm will the water be? The thought of this weekend is giving us all heart palpatations. It has been entirely too long.

As well, one of my fondest memories. Alas and alak, the Old Erawan is no more. Probably replaced with some multi-story monstrosity. I still have a few old Erawan wooden hangers in my closet.

Cash for a couple of drinks in advance? Give me an effing break. And, I'm a bit confused. Did the in-advance charge on your AmEx include a gratuity for serving yourselves? Or, just tax?

Every time this topic comes back up near top, I just want a pronto pup (corn dog to those who do not visit the MN State Fair). Not just one pronto pup, but several.

Then there's that dish where you trim them, take out the thistley part, and fry them with a heavy pan on top of them. Can't remember more of the details (several bottles of unbelievable wine later), but I bet Marcella Hazen's book covers this one. It was divine.

While not "finger food" AlexP's White Gazpacho is the ultimate. Do not decide that the peeled grapes are too much work. This is a serious wow-factor dish.

My Weber one-touch. I have no idea what we paid for it almost 20+ years ago (they are now going for $79.99 at Home Depot), but it is still going strong. A bit wobblier than in the past, but bang for the buck, one of the best purchases we ever made. And, yes, one can smoke a wonderful pork shoulder or rack of ribs on my good ol' Weber.