Tale as Old as Time

Well, maybe not quite as old as time, but we purchased our dining room set in 1973. It was new and shiny and beautiful. We had a large table and 6 chairs with matching hutch. At that time our family consisted of Johnny, me, a 2 year old and a baby. The toddler cut teeth standing on the chairs and chewing on the backs of them. They both crawled under and over them and made forts under the table. The hutch served as backdrop for family photos. We moved several times, each time selecting a place to live that had room for our table, chairs and hutch. Two more children came along and many joys were shared around that old table.

The children grew up and the chairs grew old. The shiny wore off and they developed a tackiness that would adhear to skin. The beastly brutes were particularly fond of the the area just behind your knee.

Not long ago a friend took the chairs and stripped the finish, glued the rungs and stained them to match the set. He finished them with wax and they no longer bite, they are once again shiny and beautiful.

The Pickle Project

Not all pickles are created equal, or equally created in this case. There are pickles that you make by mixing vinegar, water, sugar, salt and flavorings; packing in jars and processing . Those are good.
There are also pickles made by fermentation. Cucumbers sit in a bucket of salt water and flavorings and form their own vinegar. That is what I have brewing in the kitchen right now. We will know the results in 3 weeks.

Speaking of fermentation, that is what happens to cabbage to make sauerkraut. It has gone very well and will be served tonight with Polish sausage. Shredded cabbage, water, salt and three weeks are all it takes to make sauerkraut.

Slowly Wiping out the Paper

I don't know if it is environmental or economic,
but the tube is shorter than it was before.
















Yellowstone Park has gone green and removed the center from the soap.

Magical Kitchen English Muffin Recipe

1 package dry yeast ¼ cup warm water 1 cup milk, scalded 3 Tbs butter room temp 2 Tbs sugar

1 tsp salt 5 to 5 ½ cups flour 1 egg room temp Cornmeal

Dissolve yeast in warm water, whisk and set aside
In a large bowl add milk, butter, sugar, salt, and 3 cups flour. Blend. If this mixture is warm and not too hot for the yeast add the dissolved yeast. Beat 150 strokes or 2 min with mixer. Beat in Egg
Spoon in remaining flour, ¼ cup at a time. When dough cleans sides of the bowl, turn onto floured surface and knead, till smooth and elastic
Lightly grease dough let it rise in mixing bowl. Cover and set in a warm place until double in size.
Punch down the dough knead for 30 seconds and set aside to rest for 10 minutes
Sprinkle work surface with cornmeal and turn the dough onto it roll out the dough until it is ¼ inch thick. The dough is very elastic and draws back when rolled, let it set a few seconds and roll again. Cut into 3 inch rounds, I use a large jar ring.
Knead the uneven pieces together roll out and cut more rounds, repeat till all dough is used.
Set rounds on a corn-mealed surface and let rise till they are ½ inch thick
Heat heavy griddle to hot. Bake the muffins for 2 minutes on each side, Reduce heat and bake 6 additional minutes on each side. Be careful not to scorch them;
Cool on metal rack.
Pull apart with tines of a fork and toast the insides.

These freeze well.

English muffins

My afternoon project, 39 English muffins. Some to eat fresh, some to freeze and some to share.

Estes, Etc

I was part of a group form Yellowstone Harmony attending Rocky Mountain Roundup in Estes Park. The Buzz, an international champion quartet taught a fabulous seminar. We learned a new song.
We had lunch at the Stanley Hotel. The Stanley has a wonderful history.
http://www.stanleyhotel.com/index.html
Connie and I went on the Ghost tour. The tour was very interesting, but we didn't see any ghost.

Saturday night Cody and Tina came and went to the final show with me.

Ice Station

You will never, ever, ever guess what I put in my freezer tonight. Well, you might guess if you know that I go to Cody on Tuesdays and that I sometimes pick up and deliver things for my work.


It would also help to know that the lady I work for makes rugs for a taxidermist. Quite often I deliver bear-skin rugs, but tonight I picked up a different type of hide. This one was wet so that It can be stretched before it is rugged. She does the stretching too. The taxidermist wraps the wet skin in plastic and freezes it so it will keep till it is stretched.

So right there in the center shelf of my freezer on top of the beef is a package of zebra. Next week it will be a nice rug and the beef will be dinner.

Not long ago she did a musk ox. It was all stretched and ready to go when it came to us. We get the mount before it is touched up, this one still has tissue in his nose to hold its shape.

Lost Mountain Lion

There was excitement in Powell Sunday morning. This guy was in a tree about 3 blocks from our house.http://powelltribune.com/index.php/content/view/1054/2/