What we had for dinner - April 18 & 19, 2012

Last Week I decided to use up an old package of Boston Butt chops I found in the freezer. There were two very large chops, and of course they have a lot of fat on them. I cut off the fat (shown in the corner of the plate, which I discarded) leaving two very nice chops and about 1/2 pound of little meat pieces.

My mother used to bread and fry Boston Butt and every now and then when I find it goes on sale, I have the butcher cut it into 1/2 inch slices and I follow her recipe. They are always delicious. They provided one meal, served with rice and stir-fry veggies.

Inspired by Kate's recipe for stuffed peppers, I decided to grind the little pieces of meat left after I cut off the fat, with my old hand-held meat grinder. Mother had a similar grinder and used to grind up left-over roast beef and make sandwiches. I didn't particularly like them, but I have used my grinder to grind up left-over hotdogs for sandwiches.

I assembled all the ingredients, including the left-over rice from the previous meal. (Notice my laptop to the right with the recipe I am following.)

First step was to fry the ground pork, onion, and garlic together.

Next, I made the tomato sauce. I didn't have heavy cream, so I substituted 1/2 almond milk and half sour cream.

I heated up the sauce...

I had a few marinated jalapeno peppers I had saved from a neat little Texas cafe we ate at, and I thought they would add a little zest to the meat mixture, which they did.

The peppers were stuffed, covered with fresh parmesan cheese, and placed in the oven.

The finished dinner was delicious!

Working on our Rental Yard, March/April 2012

Since we came back from Texas, we have had to attend to business, some of which is landscaping our latest rental.

Because of a sewer backup in December, the first thing we did was have a giant silver maple removed.

Then we hired someone to come and remove the roots and level out the ground.

We had some major leveling work in the backyard where there was a big dip in the yard where a hole had been dug for a trampoline many years ago and the dirt piled onto the garden area. (the fence blew down during our hurricane windstorm in December, so the backyard neighbors, who owned the fence, are putting in a new one.)

Besides the tree area in the backyard, there were other places that needed some backhoe work.

This Friday, a crew of 4 men will come and finish by hand, what the machinery could not do. The following week a new sprinkling system will be instll.

One year later...

Haven't posted in ages. My kid's blogs have inspired me to at least say something. During the past year, we bought two rentals and re-habbed them. A lot of work and time. We went to Texas for our grand-daughter's graduation and brought Brayden, 7, home for three weeks in Utah. We visited Amber in Portland, and our boys in Colorado on our way to Texas where we are spending the winter (or most of it.) We have loved it here and half of our heart will always be in Texas.

In two and half weeks we will go back to the cold Utah winter and many tasks that await us there.

THE BIG SNOW WHITEOUT!!!!!!

Sunday after church we drove to Bear Lake to stay in our condo for a couple of days. On Monday we had some business to take care of Montipelier, but a phone call took care of it so we were able to enjoy the entire day at our home there. We ate a delicious brisket lunch at the next door restaurant which is now run and operated by the son of one of Ed's UPS associates. I spent a good part of the day reading this month's book club selection, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. It's a historical novel about Mississippi during Civil Rights years. It's really good. I recommend it. Just as the day was ending, and as the wind was picking up (unfortunately we waited too long and the little bit of sunshine we had enjoyed had turned to gray skies), we took a trek down to the lake. The water never froze this year and the water was lapping at the shore and coming up under some crusty banks that had grown out over the water. The wind was blowing, but we didn't mind. How we do love the lake!!!

We also had business in Preston and Providence and so headed back Tuesday morning, leaving Garden City at 9:15 a.m. Fifteen minutes into our drive, and as we approached the summit, we hit a blinding, whiteout snowstorm. Ed couldn't see a thing. We passed a car that had already pulled off the road. Ed drove a few feet and then decided that he, too,had better pull over. He ended up driving off the road and getting us stuck in a snowbank.

Snowplows were getting through, and helping other stranded motorists, and one went by leading the car out that had pulled over behind us and in the process plowed more snow along the left side of the truck, hemming us in for good. He stopped and promised to send another snowplow back to pull us out. I thought about the Little House on the Prarie books and pioneer stories where I'd read about these sort of blizzards, and wondered if we'd spend the rest of the day (and night) in the canyon. We couldn't help thinking about our warm, comfortable condo just a few miles behind us. This snowstorm was the first one that Ed has ever been in that was a total whiteout to the point that he didn't dare move forward or backward. And, one must remember, that Ed's job with UPS took him all over the state and into Idaho in all kinds of stormy weather.

A few cars, mostly trucks, and some semi's were succesful in getting through the canyon by following behind snowplows. As we watched them pass, we wished that we were one of them. After about an hour of waiting, another snowplow did come along and pulled us out. We followed him a short distance and then he encountered a wrecked cadillac up ahead blocking the road and a semi-trailer/truck behind that car.

Eventually, he helped everything get untangled, and we were able to follow him down into the canyon, away from the summit, where all the blowing snow was going on.

(I might insert here, that in the middle of all this I experienced the joy of being a woman when nature calls and you are not in a convenient place. Exiting a warm vehicle into a freezing snowstorm is not any fun! I hoped the open door would afford a little privacy, and shield me a bit from the blowing wind. I finished just before the snowplow guy walked back and I hurridly jumped into the truck, barely getting my pants pulled back up.)

Following the snowplow, the wind gusts reminded us of what we had just left behind. Ice forms on the windshield. (In this photo, you can barely see the road in front of us. Back up on the summit, nothing was visible, what-so-ever. It was that bad! I didn't get our camera out until after we were through the worst of it!)

The Snow begins to clear. We can see the road that is being plowed in front of us.

In spite of water droplets on the window, the canyon reveals her beauty.

Up ahead, a police car stops motorists coming from Logan from proceeding further into the canyon.

We pass the snowman we saw a couple of months ago and who appeared on an earlier blog. He is still there, though drooping sadly.

The snowfall has stopped; the road is clear. The flocked trees are lovely.

With the ride through the canyon behind us, we drive to Preston and on the way back stop to visit my sister, Deanna's gravesite in Whitney, Idaho.

One of our church presidents is buried in this cemetary

It is a very small, peaceful one. Deanna's grave is in back of the pole on the lower left.

Next, we drive to Providence to transfer 4 gravesites that Ed's parents bought, probably 65 years ago, into Ed's name and his sister's name. We have decided that they will be our final resting place.

Last stop, we visit with Cliff , Deanna's husband, before heading home.

THINGS I SPEND MY TIME ON....

Time is wheeling past rapidly. Lately I've been busy with editing old photos in Photoshop Elements as I sluggishly push my way through my life history. Wish all the old photos had been cared for better over the years.

Original

After two hours of editing:

I volunteered to sew a quilt top for a Humanitarian Project. It sat for about three weeks on my desk. On Saturday, I decided it was time to sew it up! Here is the finished project which I handed in on Sunday.

CYNDY'S BIRTHDAY - MARCH 15, 2011

Today is my birthday--the BIG ONE!!!!!

(I get to draw Social Security, Woopee! But, I'd rather have my youth back, ha, ha.)

During the day, I received cards, phone calls, and emails with birthday wishes!

A big surprise came when there was a knock on the door and a delivery woman was holding a gorgeous bouquet of spring flowers. She didn't know who sent them, but the card revealed it was from my son, Eddie and his fiancee, Kathy. It really made my day!!!!

The back side of the basket of flowers.

In the evening, Ed and I went to dinner at Applebys and had schrimp shishcabobs with rice and vegetables. We then crossed the street and attended the musical, "A Tale of Two Cities" at the Hale Theater. This is a theater in the round. The stage has several platforms that can be lowered into the ground, go round and round, or be all one stage. A bridge descends from the ceiling or steps go up from the stage. The performance was wonderful and we loved being in the center of the acting. We had excellent seats. What fun we had!

I loved my birthday from beginning to end. Happy Birthday Cyndy!

MARCH SNOWFALL!

March 6, 2011 - Last big snowstorm for the year. We got 6 inches!

The trees in the back yard were loaded.

Love the snowflocked evergreens!

The mountains are lovely in winter!

With that said, it doesn't take long for it all to melt as spring approaches!