Helping the Master Gardeners

This is Dave our son in his Best Buy shirt as he helps the kids play on a game at the Master Gardener's booth at the zoo. Best Buy loaned us their Air Card so the kids could see what a on line computer spider does. We went from the zoo to the Library on Friday and spent the day surrounded by fun people.

This is me at the Library. Did you notice the dachshund on the floor? She has a litter of dachshunds/beagle cross breeds and she and the kids are all adoptable. Guess who wanted to go and get her today? Guess who told me to go play with the dogs I have?

Our local talk radio has been on a kick to lose all their local talent and bring only the National programs to the Topeka market. They have been carrying Dave Ramsey in the mornings prior to Rush Limbaugh. Barb will let me listen to Dave and bristles at Rush. It never ceases to amaze me that there is a large number of people out there that don't get the value of money. It is pretty simple that you have to spend less than you take in on the long run. I think that we started our working lives with a monthly paycheck(s). It was pretty simple to understand that you spent the last day of the month like the first day of the month and then only spent after you had paid all your bills. Back then, we didn't even qualify for a credit card and we carried cash for everything. Barb wrote checks for the bills and we lived a pretty simple life. Notice I didn't say frugal. We drove a newer car then than we do now.

In spite of the lower cost pace of our life now, I find that we are in the accumulation mode of "Stuff". In fact I have even talked about building a storage building so we will have more places for stuff. Yes, the simple solution would be to de-stuff our lives. Good Luck on that.

The one side of life that has been fun lately is our volunteer work for Master Gardeners and Master Food Volunteers. So far it has been a chance to meet a lot of people and see the smiles on kids faces. I do come home and take a nap afterwards, but I take a nap even when we don't go places. I guess it is the simple things that makes life fun.

This week is my mother's birthday. She was born 4/23/22. Might even make a run to Tulsa on Thursday to take her a pie. She now has a rule that if she can wear it or eat it she doesn't need it. She really likes to see people and I think her favorite is smiles and hugs.

Better go see what the Master gardener has in store for us today.

MUD

Went to the Zoo Yesterday!

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If I was in charge!

If Somehow, tomorrow I woke up, "in Charge" these are some of the things I would do.

• In every community there are houses that the Government owns that are going to rot. I would search through the Military and find people that can paint, plumb and fix things up and refurbish one home. Into that home, I would select one member from each branch of the service and their job would be to work with the local schools to provide mentors for the kids there. They would provide security for kids at the local Boys and Girls clubs, playground assistants to cause the kids to do exercises and games in an organized manner. They would go into the class rooms to help teachers with the "at risk" kids (They know what I mean) I would do one home for each school that is having trouble meeting their goals from the "No Kids Left Behind" program. The service members would do this TDY and every person from the newest private to the oldest General would do at least 30 days of this per year.
• I would announce that after 50 years, Cuba has had enough. We have punished the people there long after the shine on that star has faded. Hell, if I can travel to China and Vietnam, there just isn't a good reason we can't travel to Cuba. Did you know they drive the damnedest collection of old GM cars in the world. Classic Chevrolet ought to open up a store there and help them bring that collection of rag tag cars up to shape. I'll bet Mexico sells them thousands of dollars in car part each year. In my lifetime I want to sit on the beach just once in Cuba smoking on big Cuban Cigar and drinking a Cuba Libra. I think money is the quickest way to kill that old bug of Communism.
• I would get right in the middle of the Military and tell them to get their act together. Why do we have an Army Reserve and an Army National Guard? I would eliminate the Army Reserve and the Air National Guard. I would join them at the hip and give them two years to tell us how they are going to do it. The Governors can use all the soldiers they can get and they don't (IMHO) need an air force.
• While I am on the subject of the military, why does the Navy and the Marine Corps need their own air force? There is a need for a Ground, Air and Navy force in the Military. If they could all talk together and work together several Millions could be saved. Just a thought.
• Why does someone who drops out of college get to play games for millions of dollars and teachers have trouble paying off their student loans? Why do we not celebrate teachers instead of big boys who play games?
• For every road project in America, I would make it mandatory to have a bike lane built into the project. I'm talking about a three foot strip of asphalt added to let bike riders ride and save us gas as they do. I'll bet we could save billions in fuel savings and help a new industry get started (or revitalize an old industry) We are building those stupid roundabouts with out tax dollars at least we should get something worthwhile.
• I would find a way to make the tax collection in our lives transparent. When you buy anything, the tax would go into a collection and we would not have to file once a year. I wouldn't give homeowners, car owners, people with many kids or anyone a break. Everyone that makes a dime pays a penny. If that isn't enough, make it two but the 15 April deadline would be gone. Instead of enforcing taxes on the average guy out here, put those people to work closing every loophole and collecting the money at the source.
• If you are in the business of investing other people's money, you had better be careful that you aren't doing business with a Bernie Madoff. You will go to jail if you lose money because of stupid investments.

Just one final thought. In Science there is a statement that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Another statement that nothing just disappears, it transforms into something else. Where did all that money in retirement funds go?

MUD

Rainy Day in Kansas

Barb is off to the zoo bright and early today to work on a project with the Master Gardeners.  She is setting up a booth that talks about beneficial bugs.  I am not sure what this is all about but I think it is a part of the build up to Earth Day next Wednesday.  I think she is doing something that day also.  I have a project for the Master Foods Volunteers and will be busy that day also.

Barb has my laptop with her so she can show the kids a web site that has a spider on it.  Dave will be there in his Best Buy Shirt to talk about recycling and to help barb hook up an air card to the internet.  Best Buy is providing the card that will allow her to hook up from anywhere.  I sure hope she doesn't fall in love with it. I am writing this on her MAC and the lack of a right click button is hard for this old dog.  The edits and corrections are all done from a drop down menu at the top of the page and seems slow.  But you all know how attached the MAC people are to their old technology.  It processes faster even though I know my typing is the slow link in this process.  

We are getting closer and closer to our trip to Spain and Barb is working on the itinerary.  Once we get there we will turn ourselves over to the Reimers and go with their plans.  I am sure that they will have a lot of good things to do and just being with them will be worthwhile.   

This morning I saw that the daughter of one of Barb's co-workers won a Fulbright Scholarship for a year in Germany.  She will teach English and History in a school in Germany.  I think that it is neat that she has this chance.  We have a niece Mandy that spent a year there as an exchange student and we are proud of her accomplishments too.  

OH well, on with the day.

MUD    

  

Dried Apricot Pie

Dried Apricot Pie

In our house, we don't eat apricot pie often. When the Master Food Volunteer "Pie Lady" gave us a demonstration, someone asked her about apricots in a pie. She said she always uses dried apricots as they are available year round. I used a package of pre-made pie crusts (2) and the Master Gardener approved of the pie. In fact, she was the person that took the pictures and found the whipped topping to put on top.

2 cups dried apricots

2 cups water

1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 to 3 tablespoons butter

Pastry for 2-crust, 9-inch pie

1. In a saucepan bring apricots and water to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and cook for 10 minutes.

2. Add sugar and cook another 5 minutes.

3. Drain apricots, reserving 1 cup of juice. Set apricots aside.

(I had to add water to bring the juice up to 1 cup)
4. Pour 1 cup reserved apricot juice into saucepan and add cornstarch and salt; cook until mixture thickens, stir frequently

5. Arrange drained apricots in unbaked pie shell. Pour in thickened apricot juice. Dot with butter.

6. Cover with top crust. Slit top and flute edges. I would consider putting an aluminum foil edge over the pie as it did get the edge of the crust well done.

Bake at 425*F (220*C) for 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

This was a simple recipe. I wonder how raisins, or cherries or about any dried fruit would do. Hum? next time

MUD

Hello From Kansas

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As a Native of Kansas, I always find things that make fun of Kansas funny. Not that Kansas is the best place to be, but that it is the place I like to be. If it was as attractive to everyone like California, we would be up to our butts in people from New Jersey. Do you know why we have the Phelp's and New jersey has Toxic Waste Dumps, yep we had first choice.

Yesterday I got roped into some of Barb's outdoor projects as well as hooking up the plant sink on the patio. I wanted to ensure the drain hooked into the pipe for the sump pump (out to the yard) and a new supply hose for the water. Barb's brother fixed a great plant sink and it works as well as it looks. I also had about three wheel barrels full of leaves to remove. I hate making plurals. It is hands full but I doubt it is wheels barrel full. Oh well.

Is it possible that the downturn in the economy will finally get the attention of the State and Federal Legislators that there is not an endless supply of money for taxes? Will the Tax Enough Already (Tea) parties out there across the land get their attention. In this era when ear marked funds are the bane of of all Federal Legislators, Kansas ranked 22nd. Perhaps our Republicans dipped into that trough also. Having a couple of Active Army bases and an Air Force base did propel that amount some. Especially when the "Big Red One" is expanding as all their combat brigades and their Aviation Brigade will all be based here.

One time, I was at Fort Riley on Guard Business and I got stopped by a Convoy of the Support units from Fort Riley as they were taking a trip out somewhere. On the door of the first truck was BRO 1 and each truck had a number larger by one. BRO 2, BRO 3, BRO 4 on and on. I swear that each truck had a black soldier driving it. I thought that it was cool that they could all be BRO's and put their number on the door. Finally about BRO 75 there was a white female driving a truck. That's when I slapped my fore head and said, "BIG RED ONE, Duh Dennis".

Some days are like that. Just when you stop paying attention your mind will make things up.

MUD

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO) the reason the framers of our Constitution wrote the part about free speech is the very reason most of the people came to America. Half of the people out there even today see the glass as not near enough empty and the other half want it more full. The king is an idiot or the king has no clothes. The purpose of Government is to ensure our freedoms or to leave us the hell alone and protect us from Government. You get the picture, half of the people are happy and the other half are sad. OK, I think there is a bunch in the middle that don't really care but I'll leave them out of this discussion for now.

IMHO, a lot of people look at the Government as it is written and think how much more perfect it could be if we just tinkered with it a little (or a lot). These people want our Government to ensure the freedoms we have are enforced and are willing to pass more laws to ensure them. They feel that there is enough money in our system to let everyone have a drink at the trough of plenty and the rest will have enough left over to not thirst for more. They feel the size of our Government is not as important as the effectiveness.

IMHO there are a lot of people that think the government as it was written was darned good enough and it should not be tinkered with. They feel our freedoms are well defined and we have too many dammed laws to really enjoy the freedoms we have. They feel that no matter how much money the Government has, they will always want more and spend it without consideration of how hard they worked for it. The Government is way too big for these people and if we could just somehow get back to what was in the Constitution everything would be just great.

IMHO this is why we have free speech. No matter how hard we try, there will be people that feel either we are on that well intentioned road to hell or not. There will be people afraid that the Government has spent a boat load of money and we will all go down with the Titanic and others that say it is only money and we will prevail. All I ask of the reporters is to go out there and tell us what people are saying, don't try to tell us why they are thinking it. Report both sides. Look at the Tea Party signs and it should tell you that there is enough mad for both sides.

I just pray that we can continue to have a free dialog and that everyone tries to understand that it is because we can say what we feel that our form of Government works as well as it does. As soon as one side tries to silence the other side there will be conflict that will escalate into violence.

MUD

The Day After tax Day

Tiger in his scruffy winter coat

Spangles sign from November

For the first time in many years I filed early even though I had to pay. So yesterday instead of spending the evening finishing those pesky taxes, we went out to dinner with the kids and our "nother daughter" Mel. There is a Chinese, Japanese and Korean restaurant that serves a nice dinner for a nice price. The part I like is that they add little things to the dinner that cost extra elsewhere. There is always a small piece of cake, some fruit in in a lot of cases, vegetables fried in tempura batter. Mel is having some problems with fried things so she likes the sushi and cucumber salad. Me, I like the Korean bulgogi and the only thing missing was a hot and sour soup.

I guess this mess with the economy is all my fault. They say that because people like me aren't spending all their money the growth back to full roar it is all my fault. Discretionary spending is down 40% for people in our tax bracket. It just feels good to have money left over when the month is done. I can remember days when there was month left when the money was gone and I like the feel of a few extra dollars in my wallet. (and in my bank accounts) Tell the truth, Dennis, it is really Barb's fault. She is the thrifty one in the family. I would have a new car and all the latest electronic toys if it weren't for her. I really have everything I need and most of what I want. It is kind of cool that people think I drive the old pick-up because I am frugal. Not totally true, it is Barb's desire to get every dime back out of that money pit.

Barb and I are both involved in a program to bring good health, food and nutrition to people. Barb is working through the Master Gardeners and I through the Master Food Volunteers. Both would take a lot of time if we did everything available. I am hitting it fairly hard early so I can get my 40 hours of volunteer time in as soon as possible. We will be gone a couple of weeks in May on our trip so we will miss some opportunities to help out. Barb's group is large and mine is a group of three for right now. There is a pretty good sized staff but they can only do so much.

Today will be warm but overcast. I intend to do a few things outside so I'd better get with the program. We went up to the school yesterday and turned over the garden where the Butterfly Garden will go. Barb has a bunch of classes growing different flowers for the garden. They aren't impressed with the fact that a lot of the plants are no-shows. I guess little minds aren't impressed with how hard it really is to get things to grow. they want to push the start button and have green growing, and right damn now. Oh well, perhaps this fall when they come back there will be monarchs feasting on their flowers as the Monarchs make their trek back to Mexico.

I finally found out that the term TEA Party means Tax Enough Already. I'll buy that.

Gotta go. Have a great day out there.

MUD

Outside!

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The temperature outside will be 70 with sunshine today. As soon as I finish here I am going outside to be the laborer for the Master Gardner. We have a garden to dig and paths for the home veg garden. I need the exercise and escape.

Have a great day out there.

MUD

2009 Farm to You

Today was my first day of Volunteerism for the Master Foods Volunteer program. We helped feed a slice of Pizza to four groups of almost 200 children prior to their tour to stations where they learned about things the Farmers do to provide that slice of Pizza.

Here is a typical class lined up out side the Expocenter Arena.
How do you wash 800 little hands prior to letting them eat Pizza? Hand sanitizer.

In the calm before the storm, the pizza boxes were all in big black thermal bags to keep them warm. CiCi's Pizza served some great Pizza.

Each child got a slice of Pizza and went over to their table to eat. We served them Lemon aid and water. This was to help the process go faster and it was fun for me to get to see so many kids and hear Thank You.

The Master of ceremonies as the groups toured each display was our old friend and Past County Extension Agent, Phil Sell. He and his grand daughter get the award for best smiles.

The TV stations sent their weather men to discuss the effects of weather on growing crops. The kids love to hear about storms

Barb's Group was the Master Gardner's. they discussed the farm grown products in the pizza.

This is another Master Gardner talking to the kids about Tomatoes and Onions.

The Pork Producers knew what the kids would love. These pigs were young and fun to watch. They would also come around the pen and chew on any shoes that were stuck through the railing. Much to the delight of the others.

This fellow talked about animal health issues and had a great draft horse skull. He showed the kids needles and all sorts of things to inject the animals with drugs to keep them healthy.

What display would be complete without a good old John Deere Tractor. The kids loved it but they all wanted to sit on it and drive. Sorry, not allowed.

What display would be complete without a cow and her calf? She was really OK with all the noise and seemed calm with a calf that didn't quite to know what to do with all the noise.

How could you talk about Pizza without discussing grains and wheat in particular. For that $3.00 loaf of fancy bread, the farmer gets only about 7 cents for the grain in it. Next time you have a fancy sandwich, remember that the cost of the flour in that sandwich was probably a penny or less.

There was a display about chickens and eggs. Yes, brown eggs can come from brown chickens.

I had lunch with the ladies from the Water Display. They were talking about the environmental impact on water that the farm community is trying to make better. I mentioned the riparian area demonstration I attended in Lawrence a couple of years ago.

All in all, the demonstration to the school age kids was a great time for all. They got to have a piece of Pizza and then talk about all the ingredients from the farm that goes into their food. I'll probably be smiling until next week for all the fun we had.

MUD

Quick and Easy Desserts

There is no claim that these are anything but fun food for groups of people. In each case there are low sugar items that could be used. I couldn't even begin to imagine the calories or grams of fat. I will guarantee that there will be all the smiles from the kids and the kids inside the adults.

Number 1 - Take it to the park Tiramisu.
Stop at the store and buy:
2 containers of frozen strawberries
1 container of frozen Dairy Topping
2 boxes of Twinkies
two packages of pudding 4 pack. (Pick a flavor you like I like vanilla and chocolate)

I have a big glass bowl that came inside one of those Pyrex carry it containers.
You don't need to take the snap on lid as there won't be leftovers if there are more than five kids.

Start with a layer of Twinkies in the bottom. Open one package of the strawberries and pour on the Twinkies. I then put one flavor of the pudding on top of the strawberries. Add another layer of Twinkies, second can of strawberries and the other flavor of pudding. Top with the frozen dairy topping and serve. I would make this right before it is served. There is no advantage to letting the flavors to merge or blend. Everything in this tastes good to kids. I have known adults come back for seconds. If you think about Twinkies and strawberries the taste is clear.

The second dessert I saw on Paula Deen's show this past week. She bought two packages of Ice Cream sandwiches. She put a layer in a 9X12 glass pan.She put on it a jar of hot fudge topping and a bottle of caramel. She topped this layer with bananas that were sliced. Here is where you could get fancy and make the bananas into a butter, cinnamon sauce after frying them.A bananas Foster comes to mind. She just put the bananas in sliced. Add another layer of sandwiches and top with a whipped topping, a layer of chopped cherries and then a layer of chopped candy toffee.

She put it back in the freezer but I can imagine that it would eat well when young.

Good eating...

MUD

What Does the Easter Bunny Bring to Your House?

The Easter Bunny bring a wide variety of things to our house. There are two hanging baskets of flowers, a lot of clothes, a communal basket of treats and at least one thing that is there because it is cute. (notice the ducky) Barb loves to give people things on Easter and I think our kids don't mind even thought their elementary school days are long over. I will soon be out on the grill doing my magic on some chicken and pork loin medallions. I think I heard Barb on the phone making arrangements. After working for 12 hours yesterday Dave won't be ready to start things early. (I just heard 1:30 or 1330 for those military types)

Barb and I are discussing out trip to Spain and Morocco plans and more discussing than deciding is the stage we are in. I am a free wheeling person that would go and let it happen. Barb is the "I want a schedule and reservations" type. We are going for fun but will be glad to see our friends in Morocco.

Things here in the Heartland are variable weather wise. Yesterday it was high 60 with a lot of sunshine and today will work hard to break 50 with clouds and some rain. I'm sure there will be a lot of Easter Egg hunts later on today that will be moved inside. Barb is getting very excited about her garden for the year. I have worked the beds over and she bought some mulch for the paths between the plants. I bought two truckloads of dairy pen compost last year and it has been mellowing in a trench I made just for that purpose. We are adding it slowly to the garden soil and will continue to add compost and rotted manure until it reaches a point where the soil test says don't add any more. I don't expect that to be for a couple of years.

Oh well, better go get with the program. I'm sure that with guests coming there is a bathroom and a floor or two to clean. Remember labor is who gets things done. Management just says where.

MUD

Denny Does Dr. fagan's Meatloaf w/Pork

One of my cooking buddies made a meatloaf for our Pot Luck Lunch that was darned good. It had a Cinnamon Apple meatloaf sauce on it. I mentioned it in one of my blogs and Flea mentioned that it sounded like it needed to be made with ground pork and an apple. So, here is what I did.

2Lbs ground pork

1 Cup bread Crumbs

1 Granny Smith apple shredded with a grater (No seeds or skins)

1 egg, beaten

3 Teaspoons of Chipolte hot sauce by Tabasco (This is a new flavor that I love)

1 Cup red pepper

1 tablespoon of Italian Seasonings

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper (or red pepper flakes for those of you that live adventurous)

Top with Paula Dean's Apple Cinnamon Meatloaf Sauce

Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours.

I mixed all the ingredients in a big bowl and got in there with my hands and mixed until it was a homo, hemo, oh heck, all mixed well. I formed the loaf into a big pan and put the topping on it. Just for the record, I couldn't find the Paula Dean's Apple Cinnamon sauce so I made some of my own with some cinnamon candy hearts melted into a tablespoon of water and added to a small can of tomato sauce. I added some red pepper flakes and some extra cinnamon. Truthfully it smelled like cinnamon rolls while cooking but tasted a lot like Paula's sauce. You could add onions and celery to the meat mixture for texture and taste but it wasn't needed. You could not taste the apples as a separate component. All I tasted was good.

I let it rest while I was taking pictures and then served it with some Brocolli, carrots from one of those steam in bags and enjoyed. I did my typical thing in that I ate too much after spending so much time smelling it. I think that ground pork just calls out for apples and the cinnamon taste complemented the apples. If I was serving this for a group, I would make mashed potatoes and a gravy.

MUD

It is a Matter of Taste

Over the last year or so, the MG has moved our diet to lower fat and higher fiber. I have some butter in the icebox but we don't use it for everyday. At first, I missed the soft texture of her biscuits supreme and butter. I have now a vision of a slightly drier biscuit and less slippery butter. Barb has also started using a whole wheat flour as half of the flour in things like pancakes. You might think she is trying to keep me alive longer. Perhaps it is just to keep her alive longer. In her family, old women are common. In my family, old men aren't. Oh well...

This morning our daughter-in-law came over for breakfast with her nephews, Austen and Kyler. They are two bright funny kids that are just what I want in a grandchild. I would rather have a smile and good eaters than about anything else. Kyler didn't eat his eggs but he ate enough bacon so we won't find any dead undernourished kids on the place. I guess their Grandparents are taking them to Washington, D.C. next week and they were excited. They mentioned they are going to Ike's home in Virginia because he started the program that is bringing the older child to Washington. They will also get to hit most of the other attractions. If you have never gone to Washington, D.C.? I promise you that you could spend a week there and not see half of the sights. One of the first things I would recommend is to find a tour bus just to show you where all the attractions are. The park out in the suburbs and take the Metro into D.C.

I told you about the Pot Luck Lunch yesterday, Let me share with you one of the best salads I have ever eaten; This is from Jane Robshaw

Lebanese Layered Salad (From a cooking Light Magazine)

This tangy salad can be served chilled or at room temperature. Make at least a day ahead and do not cook the bulgur as it will absorb the lemon juice and soften before serving:
1 Cup uncooked Medium bulgur
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
3 cloves of garlic, minced (not heads of garlic, cloves)
2 cups finely chopped red onion
5 cups chopped tomato (without the seeds and juice)
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/4 cup fresh dill
2 cups seeded peeled chopped cucumber
1 cup red pepper (You can use the green ones as they are cheaper but not as pretty)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place the bulger in the bottom of a large serving bowl. Combine the lemon juice, oil and 1 teaspoon salt and garlic is a small bowl. Stir with a whisk, Drizzle the mixture over the bulgur Do not Mix.
On top of the bulgur, layer onion, tomato, parsley, mint, dill, cucumber and bell pepper evenly. Again, do not mix. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 48 hours before serving. Jane put a couple of cut up pepper pieces on top of the salad as a design and it was as pretty to look at as it was good to eat.

Makes 8 servings of one cup. You take a spoon and go straight down into the salad and into the bulgur never toss this salad, just dig in and enjoy. I did. I went back for seconds and I loved the many tastes and texture.

MUD

What A Day

For the past Month and a half, I have been attending classes in Lawrence for the Master Foods Volunteer Program. Each County in Kansas has a part of the grant from K-State University that puts programs that support people and their lifestyles. One of the biggest programs is the Master Gardener program that passes out advice to people that are trying to grow gardens. They have been very active and have a response hot line to answer questions.

The Food Nutrition group has been trying to support a similar program to help with nutrition and food preparation. The Master Food Volunteers (MFV's) will also attend health fairs and provide information concerning the new food pyramid and information about proper sanitation. With the number of people that are being made unemployed, the balance of cost and nutrition is more important than ever. I am going to help develop a mission statement for the group and help our group get better organized.

The last day of class, the highlight of the day was a pot luck lunch. Imagine that a group of people that love food got together and held a pot luck. Can you imagine that there was even one thing that was not spectacular? Starting with a spinach salad and ending with a chocolate date cake the meal was incredible. There was a meat loaf with Paula Dean's Apple Cinnamon meat loaf sauce that was to die for. One lady made an Italian meatball soup with cheese tortellini. There were three salads including my wild rice and grilled chicken salad. One of the salads had shrimp and salmon in it. The Greek salad with Bulgar wheat was better than the meal I had in KC at the Touch of Jerusalem restaurant. There were two kinds of meat fillings that went begging for a flour tortilla. There was one cookie that was almost the equal of the Schmoe Girl's Uncle Chuck's Chocolate Chip cookies. The only thing needed after that meal was a nap.

I have good intentions about starting a blog to discuss some of the information concerning our program. I will let you now where it is as soon as we get it rolling.

Have a great day out there.

MUD

Cooking Day

First there was Fudge making. Start with a big cooking pot on the stove. The Evaporated milk and sugar will boil a lot so use a big pot. Combine 4 1/2 cups of sugar with 1 can evaporated milk. Heat to the soft ball stage (Get a candy thermometer to make this work right) Soft ball stage is above 212 so the mixture will have to boil for a while to get it to the softball stage. When you have the sugar and milk at soft ball stage, turn off the heat and add 2 1/4 sticks of butter, 3 cups of chocolate chips and 3 cups of marshmallows. To make the taste come out right there is a 1/2 Teaspoon of salt but you could probably cut that to 1/4 for lower sodium. Pour this mixture into a mixing bowl and mix for 5 minutes. Somehow this helps the sugar not recrystallize and keeps the fudge creamy. After you have beat it for five minutes hand mix in 2 cups chopped nuts. Pour in a buttered 9X13 in pan and let cool. This is Mom B's Fudge and is the smoothest best fudge I have found. I mailed a package of this to my best Pal in Idaho.

Today I made my wild rice and chicken salad for tomorrow. I find that making it a day ahead lets the flavors combine to make a great light salad. If you can, start with a couple grilled chicken breasts or look for the chicken packages in the meat section at the store. I have plenty of hickory and I use it to add the smoky taste. I cook wild rice for almost an hour. Get one package and cook it to the directions on the package. Let it cool. In a large bowl, add one bunch of green onions (or scallions) with about half of the green stems. I cut them into 1/4 inch pieces. I put in one can of sliced water chestnuts and I find they should be cut up to about half of the sliced size. I add the smoked chicken (I will say two cups as a round measure). For the dressing I take a couple of bog glops of mayonnaise (OK, 4 tablespoons), add a tablespoon or two of Balsamic vinegar a little sugar and salt to taste. Pour over the mixture and top it with some plastic wrap. Leave overnight for best results. The day you serve it, I add a couple of cups of sliced red grapes (seedless of course) and a cup of cashews right before you serve it. If you are going to have left overs, sprinkle the cashews on the individual servings of salad right before you are to serve it.

Yes, I finished this right as it is time to go eat lunch. It is the leftovers from the dinner we had last night. Good eating...

MUD

Tuesday Morning

My Best friend sent me this picture and for some reason it almost sums up my feelings today. I didn't enjoy the paper today and I had a big steaming pile, er cup of coffee. The Championship game was a big bore and last night the local school district had a board meeting and they let go a bunch of teachers to cut costs. It didn't stop them from spending a half a million on computers and hiring a new Principal. Crap! To add insult to injury the local paper sent a new reporter and he didn't even talk about the teacher cuts.

Dave and his wife came over for dinner and I fixed a stir fry with some wonderful grilled chicken and lots of vegs. The took home a lunch box each for today. Must have been good. Yes, I know that any food someone else cooks is great. The only thing I was a little disappointed with was the asparagus. It was a little small and dry. I guess I am a little spoiled by having some plants that will be producing big spears soon.

I have my fingers crossed that the cold last night didn't kill the buds on the fruit trees. Most of them were just starting to bud and not in full bloom. Two years ago we had a hard freeze and didn't get one apple, pear or cherry. Last year we had all the apples we could eat. I guess life is like that. Feast or famine.

I am getting my fill of people that say stupid things about the president. I hate his inconsistencies in his actions and speeches. I hate his leading the spending rush that doesn't seem to be fixing things and I hate that he seems hell bent on dismissing jobs when we need all the employment we can get. He is not stupid folks, he is inexperienced and listening to a lot of people in Washington that have different ideas about what we should do. There is even a bunch of critics that are saying mean things about what his wife wears. Now talk about your stupid things. There was a criticism about the Herb garden at the White House and the fact that students were brought in to do some of the Labor. Hell, Barbara is doing a Monarch Way Station garden at the local school and using the kids to help them understand what gardens and insects are all about. How many of us would volunteer to go to the White House even if it was just to do a little work?

Oh well, On with my day.... have a great one out there.

MUD

It Isn't Over Yet!

Barb always looks at the fans during a game.

Here is the biggest Fan, the Jay.

Dad broke down and bought him the finger. He hit people with it but no one really minded.



This is the National Championship debate pair. The National Champion team is there on the right. We don't have to depend on just Basketball to bring a National Championship home.

The official Basketball Season isn't over until the women's finals tomorrow night. Tonight will be the Green team of Michigan State against Roy's boys from UNC. I will watch tonight's game until it is 9 PM or I fall asleep which ever comes first. At 9 I will be watching Saving Grace. I am not sure why, but the quirky little cop show with a free wheeling cop and an an angel has just caught my attention. I am pretty sure that the fact that she is cute, drives a Porsche and parties hardy all of which I don't do anymore, allows me to have some escapism in my otherwise dull life ( When the typing dyslexia set in, I typed Bull Like not dull life)

This morning it appears that Momma and the two twin gray squirrels are out eating the bird seed that has spilled on the ground. For the longest time I just put finch seed in the tube feeder until I found a seed mix that has some sunflower chips in the mix. Now the finches don't hardly hit the "pure" thistle seed feeder and I have to refill the mix about every other day. Even then, it looks like the finch seed gets thrown to the ground for the bottom feeders to eat. The Junco's love to flock in and clean up the ground daily. From time to time there is also a possum that has been in to eat during the night.

One of my favorite bird watching treats is seeing the woodpeckers work over the suet block. I purchased several different kinds the last time I went to Tractor Supply. They like the one with different seeds in it. The second ingredient is Black Oil Sunflower seeds. I'm sure that they seem to go through those much faster than the one's with millet as the number two ingredient. If you feed birds on your patio, avoid the millet blends as the birds don't eat it at all and it leaves a mess of yellow BB's everywhere.

It got down into the 20's last night and this morning in spite of the sun shine the cold was blown into my coat behind a 20 MPH wind. It looked nice but I was fooled as I went out to fetch the paper. Oh well... Write if you get a chance.

PS: Go over to http://thegoodflea.com/ if you need a good laugh

MUD

Fell Asleep on the Couch

I cooked on the grill during the first half of the Michigan State Game and completely fell asleep in the second half of the UNC game. I think it is completely fitting that Michigan State is playing in the Championship game tomorrow night in Michigan, even though I would have loved to see KU and UNC play in that game. I feel confident that it would be a game much more interesting than what will be on. But with that said, it is only a game and no blood was let because I slept through or missed a part of either game. Monday morning the KU men's team will have classes to finish. they are after all, students.

This morning it is cloudy and rainy here with a 20 MPH wind out of the north. Not a fit day for man nor beast out there. Barb and I will probably go out and bring in some plants from the cold frame because it will get down into the 20's tonight. So far none of the tomato plants have any fruit setting on but I think they will start as soon as they get into the ground. The 50/50 chance of no more frost is 15 April. That means that if you plant them, there is still that chance that they will get covered with snow. I think the last chance for frost is somewhere about mid May.

Sometime this morning I am going to set up and make enchiladas. I will probably make 1/2 with beef and red sauce and the other 1/2 with green sauce and chicken. I did grill the meat for both so it will have a good taste from the first ingredient to the last. Basically I cook the corn tortillas in oil for a very short time and then fill them. I have found that not cooking the tortillas in oil cuts the calories but really makes them taste bland. Taste or good health? I vote for great taste and tell the eaters that moderation is called for. It doesn't happen but at least I have transferred the responsibility. I'm sure that the food Nazis out there would complain but unless they can give me a way to make them taste as good...

I am also going to prepare a pan of Grandma B's fudge for my bicycle parts supplier. I busted a pedal on my bike and he is sending me another set. I will admit that the set I broke was a cheap lightweight plastic I bought to save weight set so anything he sends will be an improvement. I need to spend some time on the recumbent trainer here in the basement to get ready for more rides on the real thing. I find that my legs are pretty rubbery when I walk too far or ride over about 5 miles. The only way to fix that is to get on and make circles either here at home or on the bike path.

Have a great Sunday out there. I'll try to come back and post some enchilada pictures a little later on.

MUD

WNIT

This morning Barb offered to run away with me if I could find something worth running away to. We almost at the same time said that today the KU women are playing in the final of the Women's National Invitation Tournament at Allen Field House. We drove to Lawrence and were headed to the ticket purchase line when a woman walking up the sidewalk offered us two tickets free. I'm not sure why the University was working so hard to bring a record crowd into the field house for woman's basketball but hey, we got to see a great game free. The unfortunate side of the game was that South Florida defeated the lady Hawks by a few points. It was a great game called real loose by the referees. There were 16,113 people at the game and the Field House was rocking. In fact I feel like I was on the working end of a jackhammer. My ears were numb and it took the better part of an hour to feel like I could hear normal.

On the way home we stopped at one of my favorite stores, HiVee. I just love their meat department. They had Top sirloin steak for 1.99 a pound. Their cut up chicken was only 1.39 a pound and I bought a grill full of meat. Probably will be fajitas and enchiladas tomorrow. More great tastes and lot of cooking. I will do some hamburger enchiladas and some chicken. It is messy but what a great meal. I did the grilling this afternoon so tomorrow will be cooking in the house and in the oven.

MUD

Here It Comes Again!

The weather man is saying that we are due to get another big snowstorm through here tomorrow. Can hardly wait. In the mean time it will be in the upper 50's today and we'll have to wait and see if this storm goes around us or not. Seems like the last one dumped about a foot on western and central Kansas an about 8" on Northeastern Oklahoma. The snow didn't stay on the ground long down there though. Mom said it melted off in less than 48 hours.

Someone is reporting that the squirrels in central Kansas are losing their fur due to a mange mite. Couldn't happen to a nicer group of rodents. Can't say I'm all broken hearted that those little house chewing fluffy tailed rats are having skin problems. I can't wait to see what the Government is going to spend on this problem. The reason they are having so many problems is there are too many of them. My solution is to pay a bounty on them for a couple of weeks and the problem will go away.

Where do you suppose all that pent up anger came from? My 18 acres is home to probably 20 or so and visitors almost always point out how cute the little gray one's are outside the dinning room. Oh well...


Moving on with the rest of my day. Trying to not do what my horoscope says I should not do.

MUD

Just Wondering?

Yesterday I read that a young woman posted nude pictures of herself and now is being charged with purveying child pornography? She will be listed as a sex offender and have to register where ever she lives for the rest of her life. Does this seem fair to you? Isn't the pictures out in the public domain punishment enough?

We have laws to protect us and laws to punish us. Where is that fine line to be drawn? I know that many people think the laws are to ensure we have the right to the pursuit of happiness and they make it all equal. I think that there are a lot of laws out there that just make it so "UN" simple that it is difficult to find happiness without the fear of breaking some stupid law.

Splain it to me Lucy!

MUD

Friday in the Heartland

Banana Cashew Pancakes

Some mornings, I just don't feel like breakfast but on occasion the Master Gardner will be up early and after reading the paper make pancakes for us. She has some whole wheat flour and some Bisquick that she mixes and makes these tasty pancakes. She was short the blueberries his morning so we had bananas and some of her home made apple butter. Mighty Tasty.

Yesterday the Master Food Volunteer class made a field trip to Kansas City. There is a Best Buy store there that caters to the Mexican neighborhood. They have a lot of produce you won't find in a normal produce section and they have a big tortilla machine that makes both flour and corn tortillas. The meat section has pre-made fajitas that includes the peppers and onions with the meat. It was a shame that we weren't going straight home. I did find a jar of the Claussen Pickles that Two Dogs recommended. I have looked on the shelves of most stores only to find they need refrigerated and they were in the section with the cheese.

After the shopping there we went down to the Westport area and into a store that carried every kitchen utensil that anyone would have wanted. Their focus was on handy little gadgets but they did have mixers and toasters if you wanted one. I bought some tea for Barb and two nice little tea bag cosies. One was a rabbit and one was a sunflower. If you knew Barb, you would know that she will use them and loves the themes.

Our final visit was a Spice shop in Overland Park. I tried to match my impression of a sandwich herb sprinkle that I had in Colorado Springs years ago. I found out that after smelling four or five of the spice containers, I lost my sense of smell and it started to all smell the same. I guess I should know the difference between rosemary, thyme, oregano and basil. I'm sure that there was a little of each of those with some garlic and onion powder. Perhaps next time I'll buy some of the spices and take them home for a more leisurely test.

Nest week will be the final class and our graduation. I am set to go for my first day of volunteerism on the 14th of April. We are going to assist the Master Gardner's as they show a lot of elementary students what goes into a slice of pizza. I think I will be in the part of the process that slices pizza and makes drinks. I just hope thy have enough soap and paper towels to wash all those grimy hands.

Barb saw an ad in the paper for some limestone post rocks from clear out in Ellsworth. The guy only wants $50.00 @ but they weigh about 350 lbs and hauling them to eastern Kansas will be a major project and expense. Oh well, I might as well figure out how the hell I'm going to do it as I probably will. Anything to make the master gardner happy.

MUD

Who Are You?

This is just a few of the many faces of me. Who are you?

MUD

It is Soooooooo Good!

I had never gone to a Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream store until today. I found out that between 2 and 4 during the week is Happy Hour (s) and their specialties are half price. I had a German chocolate cake waffle cone for three dollars. There was enough for barb to have at least 1/3 of the ice cream in a cup and I had all I could eat. They started with chocolate ice cream, put some hot fudge, caramel, coconut and big spoon full of coconut. About the time I thought he was through adding stiff, he added a big old brownie. Mix all that up and eat until you are in heaven.

There was a young lady from Wamego with her four kids there and we all had a gay old time talking and eating ice cream. Any one of her kids could have been a little blond haired blue eyed Petty kid. I'm sure that if I had said come on home with us the littlest one might have jumped in the car. She sat at our table and we enjoyed the laughs. Typical Mail day, two bills and one check. Weather is cloudy with no sun and about 50 degrees. Oh well...

MUD

April Fools Day!

Biggest April Fool I could Find

It takes all kinds of people to make our world go round. I just have never been a good bluffer so I don't play cards or try too many April Fools jokes on people. I guess I really subscribe to the old saying, "Smile and make them wonder what you have been up to". Speaking of April Fools Jokes, did you read that our Squeaky Clean Governor Kathleen Sebelius had her taxes re-done and the new guy said she owed another $7,000? Another stellar Candidate that didn't pay all her taxes that has been nominated by Barry to come to the most corrupt place on earth.

This morning I looked at the Sports page of our local paper. Lo and behold the Sooner's women's basketball team is about to hit the NCAA Div I Women's Final Four. I hadn't paid much attention to the women's side of basketball and now I see the BIG XII is represented by the Sooner's and KU's women. Granted that the KU women's team is in the Final Four of the NIT but a win is still a win. Heck, even the Baylor Bear's men's team is still playing in the NIT. We had a grand time in Waco to see a game there. Great people, great stadium and now good team chemistry. (Other than the water)

I have mentioned that we are planning a trip to Spain and on to Morocco. It is amazing the number of people that have children going there to teach for a year. I saw an Arabic dictionary by the clerk in our bank and mentioned we are going to Morocco. She is headed there for the summer. Seems like her major is Arabic and she is going to live with a family there for the summer months. I guess not every one's 401(k)s completely tanked. For some strange reason, as we are looking into travel from the middle of Spain to the coast, the train tickets are expensive. You can get a bus for $20 (actually 20 Euros but I don't have a clue what to use for punctuation) and the train is $70. Oh well, that's to be decided at a later date. For the record, right now you can purchase 3 Euro dollars for $4 US.

I read a lot of adventure novels and in a lot of them you find people lined up at Embassy's getting Visa's. In the real world, most countries now have a policy that if you are going to visit for less than 90 days you don't need a Visa. Yes, in most places you need a passport.

Today I had my mild dyslexia play a trick on me. I saw a headline on the Editorial page that said the Morals Race is Tight. I was part right but somewhere in the hard wiring in my brain the "ay" got left out. It is the Mayoral Race that is tight. Dang, I hate it when that happens. Oh well, off to do better things.

MUD