What Tree is This?

Can anyone help me out with identifying this tree? It came down as part of our Someday Orchard clearing project. It was only then that we noticed the top was filled with black berries that grew out of little leaf tufts- CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTO. Our university extension thought it might be a wooly buckthorn except there are no thorns, so that's out. I can't find another, although there's bound to be somewhere in these woods.

Any ideas? The wood is really hard, some sparks came out when he used the chainsaw- nothing metal inside, just very hard wood.

Molasses Cake

Sharing Failures as well as Success- You never know when you might be in a situation where you won't have the luxury of boxed cake mixes, fresh produce or cases and cases of beautifully packaged, precooked meals to pop into your microwave oven. I have decided to occasionally try recipes from the past, ones that use limited ingredients. I took out Plantation Row Slave Cabin Cooking: The Roots of Soul Food that we picked up on a trip we took several years ago as we traveled from St Louis down to Mississippi, stopping at Vicksburg and Natchez. The Molasses Cake looked pretty good, so that's the one.

I got the ingredients ready, following the directions as written.

Everything is going well and I put it in the oven at 375 degrees and set the timer for 50 minutes.

When I checked back, with 10 minutes left to go on the timer, the cake was burning. The sides had drawn in and were starting to blacken. And 10 minutes yet to go on the timer!

I quickly pulled it out to see if I could save even a little of it. It's pretty dry, but I don't know exactly how moist it would have been; however, it's way too done, burnt to a crisp on the bottom. If you cut that part off and take a taste it would be similar to gingerbread, probably not too bad if it wasn't burnt.

I have to say 375 seemed a bit hot to me, or at least a bit hot if you're baking it for 50 minutes. There's a misprint somewhere. I checked newer recipes and they all call for 325 - 350 and less time. The lesson here, don't walk away and rely on a timer when making a new recipe, particularly one that is from the 1800s.

Cards, Cards, Cards, Cards, Cards, Cards . . . . WIN !

When the Cardinals won the pennant way back in 1967, when most were day games, our elementary school brought televisions into the classrooms and we all gathered to watch them win the World Series in seven games
We also celebrated the series win soon after we were married back in 1982.

10 World Championships
1926, 31, 34, 42, 44, 46, 64, 67, 82, 2006

17 Pennants
1926, 28, 30, 31, 34, 42, 43, 44, 46, 64, 67, 68, 82, 85, 87, 2004, 2006

and 24 Playoff Appearances.

Now we go up against the Milwaukee Brewers, two beer towns fight for the National League pennant.


Oh, and to my favorite Philadelphia blogger friend:
I'm so sorry (Cards win) for your loss (Cards win). There's always hope (Cards win) for next year (Cards win). LOL - Hugs!

This is where the newest Cardinal fan will sit and watch the World Series this year. She's become quite the ball payer.

Yabut

Once again it's Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday and I'm going to attempt to write about the letter Y.

You know that "Y" isn't an easy word to write about, unless you want to discuss Yaks or Yetis and we don't have too many of either of those roaming around these Missouri woods. So, what DO I have creeping around here from time to time? The scariest, most frightening and terrible beast of all--a (almost) SEVEN YEAR OLD Granddaughter!!!!! Simply Chilling!

Here you go:

Are you familiar with Yabut? No, you say. Of course you are, if you listen very closely I’m sure you hear it all the time. It’s not allowed in my home, nosiree. We don’t speak of Yabut, at least not without a lot of moaning and groaning accompanied with exaggerated eye rolling. And then, before you even know what’s happened, Yabut pops up again! Oh, Yabut.

Still wondering? Try this:

“Ok little T,” I say with mock disapproval, “who do you suppose left these muddy footprints across the kitchen floor?”

“Ummmm,” she replies straining to come up with at least a partially valid reason why this shouldn’t surprise me in the least. “I had to get, ummmm, some cheese.”

“Cheese?” I reply, “Really. You couldn’t take off your shoes first? Didn’t you KNOW you would leave muddy prints?”

“Ya-but, I HAD to get some . . .”

“We DON’T talk about BUTTS here, you know that!”

“No, Grandma, I don’t mean . . . .”

“You KNOW that, don’t you?” I reply, holding back a snicker.

“Ya-but . . . “

“TAYLOR!” . . . ..

Sound familiar now?

Any Yabuts in your place?

:)Why (see Y/Why) don't you hop on over and check out the other entries? Link to Jenny

All Dried Up and Ready to Go

What a pretty collection, wouldn't you say? My dehydrator has been running overtime as the garden winds down it's daily offerings and we discover great deals at the produce market. The largest container holds almost 20 lbs (in its original form) of dried potato slices, great for au gratin casseroles. The next largest displays pretty orange slices, all their ultra sweetness concentrated during drying. We have zucchini plain and seasoned, cucumbers and a little bit of okra for future gumbos.

Apples sit atop a container of translucent tomato wheels spotted with pretty little seeds. Good for snacks or to pop into baked dishes. The apples are amazing, almost as if they are sour candies tempered with sugary goodness.

The rainbow of peppery colors jumps out in visual delight. This must be my favorite container, all festive and most likely knowing it is the most beautiful. Thank goodness they don't have personalities, it would probably be very high maintenance. Perhaps a super model!

I tested dehydrating radishes with great success. I am thinking about grinding them into powder to use as seasoning for various dishes. It should add a certain zing that no one expects.

The taller containers were purchased from Wal-Mart and have a screw type lid plus indentations on the sides which make them easier to hold. The smaller containers are technically cool but I am leery. The lids seal with a flip of the clear plastic handle on the top which internally pushes out the bottom, squeezing the rubber gasket into place. They are NOT watertight, and as it turns out, becomes a problem with washing. Liquid gets inside the top and slowly, VERY slowly, dries out. I had to remove the gaskets and leave everything apart for several days pumping the handles occasionally to squeeze water out. Still, I saw a water drop or two.

This is a problem for dehydrated food and anything else that you might store in these such as grains. These are Better Housekeeping containers too. I had faith, but not any longer. As pretty and stackable as they are, I won't be purchasing these again. I can't leave them to dry for a week at a time. The screw top containers will probably be my container of choice.

Front Porch Living

When the sun is shining and the weather is hot, we have front porch living.
No need to stay inside with the air conditioning running, it's plenty cool out here. I can bring out a bite to eat and maybe a drink or two. We can watch the road in case a car drives by. If we don't recognize it we'll speculate on who it might be and which house they were visiting.

When the clouds arrive and pour down rain, we have front porch living.
We can bring out some music and watch our granddaughter dance back and forth. I'll make a vegetable platter with different dips plus a few crackers and cheese. We can sit by the old ice cream table from my grandparents' Rexall Drug store.We'll be high and dry under the 9 ft porch.

If we want to have morning coffee, we have front porch living.
Or maybe we would eat dinner at the patio table brought around from the back deck where it is much, much too hot. These days we might just light the oil lanterns when the sun sets as we enjoy the cool Autumn evenings.

You might have a cat or two (or six) for company, perhaps more than that if you hold real still. We have Disney on parade after night falls: opossums, raccoons, cats and a host of creepy insects will soon arrive.

The second floor has an identical porch, twins up and down. The upstairs is where you place the loungers for a quick nap without cats for company. It's where the little swallows build their next on top of the ceiling fan or where little Taylor can look out her bedroom window and watch the world go by.

I love front porch living.

Our Someday Orchard

How I wish I had an orchard. Apples, pears and cherries, peaches and plum trees would be lined up all in a row. We would also have hives nearby with busy bees buzzing among the flowers. We'd have to make extra shelving in the basement for the pie fillings we would make, canned peaches for mid winter, apples dried or nestled in boxes, twisted up in newspaper. We'd have cherry pie and strudel, an apple crisp or two, some homemade jam and jelly and all the wonderful creations I've seen you all do.

So the hubby took chainsaw in hand and started cutting down trees. One after another they are coming down, he's chaining them up to the tractor and dragging them down the road to our fire pit where they will be cut up for winter wood and maybe a cookout or two. The John Deere tractor might look like a typical lawn tractor but the way it is built it's more like a tractor with hydraulics and cast iron parts. It's pretty strong but the last tree took the power of the his big Dodge Ram. "Cummins, turbo diesel," he just interjected (LOL).

I understand my granddaughter, Taylor, has requested a log home playhouse so I am certain Pop's will give that some major consideration!

I've been looking at everyone's pantry challenges and love seeing all the pretty jars filled with colorful canned fruit. I hope by Spring everything is in place and we've selected our trees.

I will have to figure out where the best place is to purchase the trees so if anyone has suggestions, please send them. Do I use a local nursery? I don't think I want to select Wal-Mart, Lowes or Home Depot since they ship into the whole chain from wherever. Local sources might have things better suited for my area. I know I have to start small since we are completely rocky so a good on-line source might be OK too. Stark Brothers nursery is not too far of a trip so we may take a drive up to Louisiana, MO at some point.

A Fall Morning on the Ridge Top

It's October 1st on the ridge top. There is a briskness in the air, almost frosty. The house is pleasantly cool after a windows-open night where you snuggle up in blankets and listen to the barred owls call across the valley. You wake up to the rooster's call and rustling trees as squirrels scamper to and fro gathering their acorns for the winter stash.

Pumpkins, pumpkins all in a row, big to little, wouldn't you know! The garden's gift to the children, plenty for all three families this year. They aren't so big but they sure are pretty.
Will we paint them? Maybe we'll just leave them as they are to enjoy their natural beauty?

The marigolds are still hanging on. These have always been some of my favorites with their rich color and the heavy aroma that some find offensive, although I haven't a clue why. I consider them to be my "old faithful" flower, never lets me down.


The burning bushes have started to turn now, probably a bit early due to our strange weather. I planted the entire west side of our foundation in burning bushes with a sand cherry in front of the chimney. It stands almost, but not quite, mid way along the side of the house also displaying its purplish red colors.

The wild sumac, all decked out in red and green, celebrates an early Christmas, Hawaiian style with an almost tropical appearance. Mele Kalikimaka to all of you!

Not to be outdone, the goldenrod is in full display, swaying in the cool breeze as it calls out to late season bees.

And what is this? Who might live here? Or it is a squirrel's safety deposit box? A guardian daddy long leg sits at the entrance, nestled on the northern moss. I am not much of a spider person but I have always liked these little puffballs, making sure I take them back outside when they are trapped in the house.

One of the strays hangs out down by the chicken coop, standing on the bins begging for attention. If you look closely you will see her drooling, a trait both she and her sister have in common earning one of them the nick name Drooly Cat. As soon as you begin to pet or cuddle with them you end up a damp mess.

As the morning gives way to afternoon, I prepare peppers for dehydrating. Such pretty beauties at a farmer's market deep discount. Actually, I prefer them this color with all the yellow-orange sweetness. They share the dehydrator with my first attempt at dried apples which I soaked in lemon juice after being cored and sliced.

The coffee is now put away, we're all showered and dressed in our work clothes. Little Taylor runs in for a quick PBJ and chips before another round of bike riding with the neighbor girl. I hear the chain saw in the distance preparing our side lot for next season's planned orchard. The logs will be prepped for firewood and, according to little T, a log cabin playhouse for her!

I sent her quilt out to the long arm quilter yesterday- some of you may have seen the past posts. I should have it back in a week or two, in plenty of time for her November birthday.

Well, I have laundry on the line, bathrooms to clean and porches to sweep but I might take a few moments to watch the hubby pull around trees. I can clean bathrooms when it get dark!

Welcome to Fall- I hope you all have a wonderful day.

An X Rated Post

The letter X is the star of the show on Jenny's Alphabe-Thursday. What an Xcellent choice (as if everyone else hasn't thought of this)!

What can we say about letter 24?
It can sound like a Z,
but there's so much more.

Pirate booty on an isle,
The spot, it can mark.
Or a sweet little peck,
A kiss, in the dark.
xoxoxoxoxo

If you can't write your name,
An X, it will do.
It can also let you know,
that 10 is five times two.
5 x 2 = 10

It can tell the time,
Could it be 10?
Or an unknown value,
It's math once again!
5x + 36 = 46

Keep the kids far away,
If it's on the marquee.
There's nothing going on
that they need to see.


You might call the doctor,
just in case there's a cure.
But if there's two on the eyes,
He's a goner for sure,
( xx )

Anyway you use it,
Mr. X is very dear,
If you bring two together,
it just might be beer!

Beer. Hmmm, gives me a thought. Gotta go, see you next Thursday.

music link
map image
marquee image link
beer link

A Big Pot of Gumbo

A Big Pot of Gumbo!

Recipe
Roux
Stock
Gumbo Ingredients
Rice (optional)

Note:
There are separate ingredients for stock and for the gumbo. The stock veges will be discarded- not used for the gumbo. The roux ingredients are included in the Gumbo section. The chicken in the stock will be stripped and put into the Gumbo.

Gumbo is great over rice, most seem to eat it this way. Prepare the type of rice you prefer for the number of people you anticipate eating Gumbo. If you use rice, this recipe will feed more than if not combining with rice. We served at least 8 - 10 bowls and still have plenty of left overs, using rice.

We saw the initial recipe in Emeril Lagasse's Every Day's A Party cookbook, but I have to warn you, there seems to be a misprint. There were ingredients that were not used, so we changed it a bit. This basic recipe is not very spicy, because you often have people with different tastes, so we add the majority of the zing at the end. I don't do hot, hot. My husband likes scorching hot food.

Stock Ingredients
1 hen (6 lbs approx)
8 cups water
2 medium size yellow onions, quartered
2 ribs celery cut into big chunks
2 bay leaves (remove before serving)
1 TBL salt (tablespoon)
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Gumbo Ingredients

1 1/2 C all purpose flour (for roux)
1 1/2 C vegetable oil (for roux)

2 C chopped yellow onions
1 C chopped green pepper
1 C chopped celery
1/2 lb ground andouille finely chopped
1 lb smoked sausage cut crosswise into 1/4 in thick slices

Optional Toppings
2 TBL chopped green onions
2 TBL fresh parsley (or dried)
File' powder
Creole seasoning


To Make the Roux
Make the roux (Roo) first so it has time to cool. You can't add hot, straight roux to hot ingredients, even tempering it can be tricky in this case.

This is a one to one ratio fat to flour.
In this case, 1 1/2 cups oil and 1 1/2 cups flour.

You can use any fat- butter, animal fat, vegetable fat. Whatever you have but remember, the fat adds flavor. If you use lard it will have a porky taste. If we were making turkey gravy we actually make a roux so it is nice and smooth. We skim the fat off the drippings which adds turkey flavor. In the case of gumbo, corn oil has a higher smoke point with a neutral flavor so it is good for the roux. The roux is the key to the flavor. Cook over a very LOW heat. Do not become impatient- a bad roux results in a bad gumbo.

A GOOD roux requires constant stirring and cooking until just the exact moment when the roux becomes just about chocolate brown. It can burn easily so be very careful. The darker it is the less it thickens. Gumbo roux should be thick but still flow. We don't want gravy (a lighter roux) so we take it to a darker stage. See how white it starts out.

Starting Out- very white.

Just about done-chocolate.

It's just about done when it gets this shade of brown, it will burn quickly so be very careful. It will take on a different smell, and you will know you are close. The skillet will still be hot so you can turn it off just before it's "done" and keep stirring.

The Stock

Add all the stock ingredients into a pot, cooking over medium heat until tender.
Remove the solids and set chicken aside.
Discard vegetables- their flavor has been transferred to the stock.

Bringing it Together

Prepare the trinity (celery, onions, green pepper):
In a skillet add the cold or room temperature roux, andouille, chopped celery, onions and green pepper, cook over medium heat until the onions clear.
Now that the roux is mixed with the vegetables, you can add the roux to the stock.
Cook on low heat for about two hours.

Pull the chicken off the bone and add it to the stock.
Add the the link sausage and let it cook at least a half hour until heated through.


Preparing the Vegetables and Roux

Adding the Chicken and Sausage

The Bowl

Top with the green onions and parsley, if desired or with some file' powder (pronounced fee-lay) It is ground sassafras leaves that thickens the gumbo as well as flavors it. If you have added any okra to your gumbo, you might not want the file' since that would be double thickeners.

You may want to spice it up with some Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning sprinkled on top.

Tony Chachere's Link

Some Stages of Roux

Stages of Roux- some say there are 12-15 definite states of roux, this link provides a few of them.

The BLONDE stage is a carmel color, and is usually reached after about 2 minutes. This is the most common stage, for your average sauces. Say a Veloute or a basic gravy.

The MEDIUM is a shade darker than the blond, and usually not used too often. It is great if you want to add a bit of darker color to a basic gravy.

The CHOCOLATE will actually be the darkest before the roux is pretty much useless. (there is a darker, Brick stage, but honestly, the chocolate stage is just fine for 99% of your needs). It will have a light nutty scent to it and be, obviously, chocolate in color.

roux link