Grab a Chair

....and pour yourself a cup of coffee. I hate to continually bore you with weather updates, but I'm going outside to plow again.

Grab yourself a book out of our library. Here's the fiction, non-fiction, anthropology, psychology, science, self-help and Presidential biography section.



If you're in the mood for a western, the farmer's collection of Louis L'Amour is on the top left shelf. I'm hoping you'll feel like baking something terrific while I'm outside. The cookbooks are on the three middle shelves on the left.



Unfortunately the old wing chair was looking very ratty so I got rid of it and haven't yet replaced it. Perhaps a window seat between the bookcases?

Anyway, I'm off. I'll be back soon.

Tomorrow we'll look at some decorating books, both mine and my interior decorator daughter's.

Ice Cold Water = Salt Water Tears

I love to look at the "dream rooms" on those decorating websites. Take me away, take me there now.

I think that readers of my blog know that they're not always going to find sweetness and light when they come here. We all strive to make our homes a beautiful and calm oasis, but that's not always the case. Having worked for a newspaper for many years I've been conditioned to tell it like it is......and it isn't always pretty!

We should all keep in mind what we're striving for but allow ourselves the fact that it's not attainable every day, and probably not desirable every day.

After the "big water event" back in August, we've done alot of work repairing the damage done by the basement flood. I'm not very fond of water right now. And I'm not very fond of the neighbors up the road who built a really big grey house. Before the grey house was built we never flooded, neither did our close neighbors, but after construction of the grey house all bets were off.

The neighbors house behind us has had the basement carpet replaced at least 4 times in the past few years. The couple living there now bought it 2 years ago when they were transferred here. After the flood in August I felt it was important to pass the knowledge of the previous events along, because I'm not sure they were aware. There are at least 4 other homes that were severely damaged during the flood and we've all decided that we're not going to carpet our basements, we'll be installing porcelain tile and using area rugs.

We've had tons of snow and a constant succession of warm and horribly cold temperatures. Yesterday it rained very hard which melted tons of snow. Being very nervous about water I went down in the basement only to find the new sump pump and the battery back up were not dealing with problem at all. They were both running, humming along but it was apparent to me that nothing was passing through the pipe. First thing this morning I called the local heating/air conditioning/sump pump people. It seems we've had the perfect storm of weather conditions and the pipe running from the house to the leach field was frozen solid, the first time in 14 years.

Did I mention I hate water?

I'm probably the most positive and optimistic person you'd ever meet but this situation on top of 5 months of work reduced me to tears. Isn't it funny how you THINK you're dealing really well with problems and then BAM. I'm the first to admit that these problems are very minor in the scheme of things but I learned something important during my years in therapy and that was never to compare your troubles with someone else. Don't fall into the "someone else has it much worse" trap. Even though that is true it does not lessen the stress or pain you're feeling.

So feel it! Cry! Scream! Curse the H2O or whatever it is that's stressing you out. Release the steam and don't let it build. Certainly don't dismiss it because someone has it worse than you.

It's a good thing that last night we headed over to the Tap House Grill for a Mardi Gras celebration. The crawfish was great, the gumbo was mediocre and the party that was promised never really happened because of the terrible weather. No matter, we made out own good time.

Partying with Mrs. America

A lifetime ago the farmer was traveling alot on business. From Monday to Friday he'd be in Canada and home again on the weekends. My days were filled with peanut butter, sick kids and.....well, I don't think I need to tell you what my life was filled with. You know.

My friend Marge called me one evening and said, "I'm concerned."

"About what?" I asked.

"I think you're suffering from Mommy flu."

"What's Mommy flu?" I asked.

"Well, last week when we went out to lunch you reached over and cut all my meat into tiny little pieces."

"Yeah, so???? Wasn't it small enough?"

"No, really," she continued. "You seriously need to get out and mingle with some adults."

"You think?"

"Yes. I snagged an invitation to a client's gallery show. It's a cocktail party and a show."

"Cocktail party?"

"Yeah, you remember. Hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Conversation."

"Oh, hmmmm, yeah I think I vaguely remember something like that."

Saturday night arrives and the farmer and I meet up with Marge and her husband. Her client is a famous artist who's work was seen in every mall across America. She was talented and designed dreamy triptychs which filled the void created by the now unpopular sofa size oil paintings. Her home occasionally served as a gallery for her work. To top it off she was a runner up in the Mrs. America contest. Overachiever!

When we arrived at her beautiful townhome I commented to Marge that this must be how the other half lived.

Everything was perfect. Absolutely perfect. And clean, spotlessly, stunningly clean. She had children. Where was the stuff of kids? There must be a hidden room somewhere.

We nibbled, we drank, we chatted and marveled at the originals of her published works. Marge and I toured the place, peeking into every corner. It was then that an uneasy feeling set in. It was too perfect, as if it was all a computer generated image. There was nothing out of place but more importantly, nothing personal or funky. No collections or family photos.

I know some artists. They're funky, original and have a quirky sense of humor. This place reflected none of that. It was as if we'd stepped into the Stepford Zone. This woman's home was quirk-free and very serious. The furniture was contemporary but so unremarkable that the moment we stepped out of the door I'd forgotten what it looked like. There was not one item that was memorable or made an impression.

There were no Guatamalan jaguar masks.



Or odd round rocks on a bookcase.



At this point in my life I didn't know alot about decorating, but I knew that this townhouse was a lesson in how NOT to decorate. Vee's son raised the question about what makes a house a home. It's hard to put your finger on it but certainly it's a personal stamp, something that reflects your personality or your viewpoint. And in my mind it must contain a little bit of the unexpected. I'd love to hear your opinions on homes that have impressed you with their originality or little surprises that made an impression on you.


Tomorrow - It's supposed to snow again today so maybe we'll bake something AFTER we plow....again.

The Farmer's Wife Picks

There are things I've found over the years to have been great values or simply stand out as the best. Here are a few:

ENTERTAINING

A couple of years ago I received some beautiful appetizer plates from Williams Sonoma. They were great, but there were only 6 and they were very expensive so there's no way I could accumulate enough for a large party. Enter Crate and Barrel. The good thing about approaching civilization is that it brings some great restaurants and retail establishments to the area.

Crate and Barrel offers these square, white appetizer plates in boxes of 12. They're only $21.95.



We do have parties of over 12 people so I'm going to invest in another box. And besides they also make great little dessert plates and come in terrific packaging that allows you to store them easily.




CAKE MAGIC

Here's another $30 cake pan from Williams Sonoma. You remember the other one, right?



I justified the purchase of this pan when we were invited to spend a weekend at a friends Lake Michigan cottage. I baked my buttermilk pound cake and sprinkled Turbinado sugar all around the sand castle and created flag banners for the towers using bamboo shish kabob sticks and striped grosgrain ribbon. Lastly I found some chocolate shells and starfish which I placed at the base of the cake. I've also made this as a snow fort (white frosting) and a knight's castle for a child's birthday. It's a very versatile cake pan that creates WOW cakes.

FABULOUS GETAWAY

One of my #1 picks for fabulous getaway is Ambergris Caye in Belize. It's an island off the coast that was cut in two sections during a hurricane. The smaller south portion has a few unpaved streets and a few cars. The north part of the island has no roads and a number of great resorts. We stayed at Captain Morgans in a thatched roof casita right on the beach. It rained for two days and we were amazed, not one drop of water came through the thatch.



The casitas have no televisions, no phones, no internet access, no plush carpet AND no stress. You travel by means of water taxi, either to the south part of the island or to the mainland where there are plenty of adventures awaiting you. You can also rent a pink Ferarri.....



bicycle and travel the island on the many paths.

ED. NOTE: Although Belize is just south of Cancun, the airfare is a pricey $1,000 per person round trip. The Belizeans are now making money off the tourist trade but for them, there's nothing to spend that money on. So here's what the Belizeans do. They rent a car and drive up the coast to Cancun, take plane from there to Miami, where they shop till they drop. Same routing going back. They save tons and tons of money. The entrepreneurial spirit in Belize is something awesome to witness. Due to the fact that it was once British Honduras, they are very well educated (one of our waiters had over 3,000 books in his in-home library on the mainland), and fully understand the importance of keeping their country the eco-tourist paradise that it is.
Hope you enjoyed my picks for today. We had another snowstorm last night so I'm out to plow, again!

Tomorrow we're going to party with Mrs. America.

The Way Back Machine

The Time: 1965
The Place: Our home on 3rd Avenue, Maywood, Illinois

Earlier in the week I told you about JoAnn Fabrics Prom Dress Contest. It seemed like a good idea to drag out my own prom picture.



This photo is funny on so many levels, you simply cannot imagine.

Here I am, posing my best sophisticated look in my hand sewn dress. That's not the funny part. The dress is was really beautiful and just the thought of it brings back wonderful memories.

In order to have something different my mom and I decided that she would make my dress. We took the train from Oak Park down to Chicago where we shopped for fabric at Marshall Field's. After deciding on a pattern we choose a lovely pink peau de soie with matching pink lace. The lace was added as a bottom ruffle and there was a matching lace jacket. She did all the work since this was a few years before I begged her to teach me how to sew.

I'm sitting on our hi-fi stereo and I can remember that wallpaper as if it was yesterday. The lamp was an absolutely horrible plastic affair, a pole lamp that went from floor to ceiling, held in place with some type of spring tension. Yuck. The house was a wonderful farmhouse meets Victorian, with pocket doors and a fireplace surround covered with beautiful tiles imported from England.

The hair...the HAIR!!! Let me just say that nothing in this photo reflects me. I was probably the least sophisticated person at school and my hair was never worn in this fashion. I wore a long bob forever and my style was more beatnik than "Grease" but I remember wanting to really turn up the volume for prom. I took the bus to the hair salon and described to the stylist what I was looking for. She must have been a magician because although I had very thick hair it was unbelievable, even to me, that she could whip it up into such stunning heights.

My decision was to leave my glasses in my handbag. I hardly thought I'd look glamourous wearing dark rimmed glasses.

My date was a sophomore in college, and although he'd graduated from our high school he wasn't very well known to my friends. Put together all these elements and here's what you get - a very funny train wreck waiting to happen.

So, my date arrives and he's pretty surprised. Keep in mind that he's a very conservative guy and suddenly he finds himself going to prom with Pinkie Tuscadero. Without my glasses I trip going down the stairs and almost break the heel on my shoe. Close call. We arrive at the prom which was held in the high school gym. Think West Side Story....mods and rockers, greasers and madras jackets. I let Dean guide me into the room because I can't see a thing. I'm very excited to make a grand entrance.

The crowd parted as I entered. I walked forward. WOW, I thought "this is awesome!" The reality was hardly as fabulous as I thought. The truth was that no one recognized me, or my date! They all looked at me dumfounded and their collective opinion was - what a dumb bunny. This girl has showed up at the wrong prom! My best friend Dennis didn't even know who I was. Later he told me he gave me an extra 100 points for dreaming up such a strange scheme.

The evening was fun. After prom Dean and I went to Henrici's to eat and although I felt so grown up, in hindsight I realize that we were overdressed and our appearance screamed "prom kids". I remembered the feeling fondly several years ago when we were dining with friends at an upscale Italian restaurant. In streamed a large group of prom kids, the guys discussing the proper etiquette and what they should be tipping.

Someday they'll be looking back and having a good laugh.

Tomorrow I'll share some of my "picks" with you and I'm not talking football teams.

Fresh and Not-so-fresh Produce

We are very lucky to have a wonderful Italian fresh market nearby. They are best known for their produce, some of which I can't even identify. It's important to us to be able to have fresh veggies in the middle of winter. This market has no shortage of employees and there's always someone re-stocking and freshing up the displays.

One day I was in the market shopping for eggplant with the idea of making eggplant parmesan for dinner. I grabbed a nice looking one and headed toward the bananas when I noticed a man bent over and examining some boxes on a ledge just below the pepper display. I was curious and checked it out for myself. It seems that when the employees are freshening up the displays they pull out the items that are slightly bruised or not quite perfect. They gather all these items together and put them in a big box, wrap it up in plastic and price it at......$1.49 for the entire box.

This is what I found and brought home.



It contained 6 eggplants, green peppers, red, yellow and orange peppers, yellow banana peppers, cucumbers and one unidentified object. (You could probably help with this.)

That's alot of produce and I have to process all this in some way so that it can be used either immediately or in the future.

The green peppers will be used in the next few days as I'll make pepper steak for dinner. The red, yellow and orange peppers were sauteed lightly in olive oil and placed in a container in the fridge. They will keep for the next week and I'll use them in various ways, mostly just served on the dinner plate as my family loves them.





The cucumbers were sliced and placed in a mixture of water, vinegar and salt.
(What is that light green thing in the front?)



They're kept in the fridge and will stay for quite awhile.



Here are the ingredient's for the brine.

2 cups water
2 TBSP. vinegar
1 TBSP. salt

These proportions can be increased to make double or triple batches, enough to cover the items.

I'm going to slice the eggplants, dip in egg and bread crumbs and fried. I'll make that eggplant parmesan I'd planned and freeze the other patties for future use. They keep really well if they're heavily wrapped in freezer paper before putting in the freezer.



These peppers will be seeded and sliced into rings, combined with sliced carrots and celery and covered with brine and a couple inches of olive oil to make a homemade pepperoncini.



Regardless of whether you have a market that has these kind of special produce boxes, your market will have something on sale that you can take advantage of. I encourage you to thrift while you food shop!

AND THE WINNER IS..... The winner of the Ugly Pound Cake Recipe Contest is Ginnie!! Ginnie, please e-mail me and we'll figure out which apron you would like. I'm going to be creating Ginnie's dessert in the next week and posting directions and photos. Thanks for participating.

Tomorrow is another trip in the Way Back Machine. Don't miss it!

French Toast Weather

The Southerner's have their fruitcake weather, forever immortalized in Truman Capote's story, A Christmas Memory. It involved tromping through the woods, or in my case across Uncle Jackie's open field to the vast pecan grove. Baskets were filled to the brim with the brown jewels. Hard work followed as we hunched over large bowls of pecans, cracking and picking out the nut meats, every morsel to be baked into holiday treats.

Northerner's have a much more dramatic version called french toast weather. Any grocery clerk in the north can tell you what french toast weather is. It's when the local weathermen forecast dire snowstorm conditions. Everyone runs to the grocery store and buys....you guessed it, bread, eggs and milk. I often wonder if people think they could possibly live on french toast for more than three days, but actually it's just a natural instinct to have all the basics on hand during an emergency.



The current habit of weather forecasting 24/7 is quite annoying to me. I like the old fashioned "rock" method. If the rock is grey, it's dry and sunny. If the rock is wet it's raining. If the rock is white it's snowing. We've never planned our lives around what the weather might do, because this is Illinois and if you wait 10 minutes the weather will change anyway!

When my children were little we lived in a nice suburban community. I literally survived on a monthly diet of Country Living magazine, dreaming of the day when we could move to the country and live the good life. Well, it is a good life, but I would warn against moving to the country without understanding what's really involved. Pay very close attention to the Chevy Chase movie, Funny Farm.

Those lovely magazine spreads featuring beautiful photographs of luncheons under the trees don't tell the whole story. What they don't show is the hoards of mosquitos descending from the nearby woods. Oh, and the deer ticks, and the black ants marching up the table leg to snack on your pots de creme.

It's a local tradition around here to corner newcomers at a summer barbecue and pose the question, "Do you have your blade yet?" Everyone chuckles as they see the wheels turning and the newcomer attempts to figure out 3 things:

1. What's a blade?
2. Why do I need one?
3. Where can I get one?

The answer is simple. The blade is an attachment to your pick-up truck, farm tractor, lawn tractor or 4-wheeler. Without it you're not going anywhere in the wintertime.

Which brings me to some personality traits that you need to survive in the country. You need to be made of the right stuff, preferably some type of pioneer stock. You're going to need to be self-sufficient, a great problem solver and know how to pull start a generator. Yes, you will probably need a generator and if you don't have one there will be times you wish you did.

Having made the comment about being self-sufficient I need to make it perfectly clear that neighbors will be very helpful, you can count on them in a pinch. They will give you lots of eggs and vegetables, they'll help you mend fences or scare off coyotes, and pull your car out of a ditch, but you'll need to be able to cope if the neighbors are busy with their own disaster. Many times after plowing my driveway I'd also plow the neighbor's drive. She never asked and I never offered, I just did it. I knew she was home with a newborn and her husband was out of town. Did I mention I love plowing?

It's really funny that yesterday's post was about fashion because fashion is an afterthought in my life, especially on days like today. Here I am after an hour of plowing. Quite a fashion statement, isn't it?



Here was the scene outside last night. I finished plowing and turned around to find that it's piling up again. The forecaster has said it will continue to snow till tomorrow night. No matter, I've lived long enough to see some REAL weather and this doesn't rank anywhere near the top.



Soon it was time to head back inside and have a Klondike bar and sit by the fire.



This morning I made French toast and served it with some of the fresh butter we made the other day.If we want to enjoy the meal on the deck, we're going to need to clean the chairs off.



Although I've got plenty of recipes for fancy versions, I opted for the simple version made with bread, eggs, milk and nutmeg.



Why? Because we need to plow, again!

Tomorrow we'll announce the winner of the ugly pound cake contest and talk about produce bargains.