Sweet Sassy Molassy!

Things sure have changed in a few short weeks. I caught Sassy and Frankie hanging out together in my rocking chair by the bay window just soaking up some sun. Frankie and Tobey love chasing and being chased by our new resident. They're getting a lot more exercise than they usually get during the winter months.

Did you notice Sassy's right ear? Don't tell her, but it's a little shorter than the other one. She doesn't seem to mind. She's also missing about an inch of her tail. It looks kind of cute in its stubby way.

Shhh...Tobey and Frankie didn't want me to tell you, but they kind of like the new girl. They even give her baths sometimes. It'll be our little secret.

Are you crazy? Three weeks in a pop-up camper and a mini-van with three kids!!!

In 1988, my husband and I had the crazy notion to hop into our mini-van with a 12-year-old, a 9-year-old, and a 6-year-old, pull a pop-up camper across the middle of Canada and back across the biggest part of the United States for three weeks. It was the best trip we've ever taken, but it had its moments.

The rocks came from around Thunder Bay.

1. We left home on the third week of July. Home was Ironton, Ohio.

2. We had a flat tire on the camper. Luckily it came with a spare.

3. Spent the night in a provincial campground on the Canadian side of Lake Huron. Shortly before we got into our comfy slideout beds, an intense thunderstorm began. It rolled in and out of the lake all night long. Husband and I didn't sleep a wink...the kids never heard a thing.

4. Our second son contracted an intestinal virus from drinking unsafe water. That was unpleasant.

Between 4 and 5 we saw wheat fields....lots of wheat fields.

5. One of the most beautiful sights in the United States....Glacier National Park. If you've never been there, put it on your bucket list. I was scared to death of running into a grizzly bear, but we didn't see even one. We did see mountain goats and a badger. It wasn't without incident though. Unbeknownst to us, my niece had been trying to locate me since the day after we left home. The nice $3,000 check from our credit union that I had cashed for the trip? I had signed it for my husband (don't tell me you haven't done it before!) and the credit union had refused to honor it because of the hinky way I signed it! My niece just happened to be in the bank and one of our friends who worked there asked her if she knew how to get hold of me. How in heavens name she ever tracked us down at the campground where we were staying, I have no clue! But Husband got it all straightened out and it was all good. Thank goodness we lived in a small town!

6. 1988 was the year of the big burn in Yellowstone National Park, but we enjoyed every moment we spent there even though the air was smoky and near the south entrance you could see the fires burning in the distance. That entrance was closed, so we had to change our plans to see the Grand Tetons.

7. So we headed up to the Battle of Little Bighorn National Historic Site. A more desolate place you will never see unless you're on the moon. It was hotter than Hades and there were signs everywhere warning not to veer from the paths unless you wanted to encounter rattlesnakes. Uhhh, you don't need to tell me twice!

We were fortunate to have a Native American tour guide who gave their side of the story. Why the United States ever wanted control of this godforsaken part of the country is beyond me.

8. Greybull, Wyoming...nice little town...nice private campground. The kids were getting on my nerves while I was trying to cook supper, so I told them to take a little walk. Two hours later, after we frantically had searched the entire town, they ride up to the campsite in a police car! Aimee (the 6-year-old) hopped right out of the squad car and started telling us that "she wanted to go to someone's door and ask how to get back to the campground, but that the boys were being stupid and didn't want to because they were embarassed"! Thank God, the police officer had spotted them after we reported them missing! You have to remember this was 1988 and it was a very small town. We were very trusting then.

9. We camped one night in Rapid City, but there were forest fires there, too, and it was so smoky that it was hard to breathe. So we moved on.

10. Fort Robinson, Nebraska was the last U.S. Cavalry outpost in operation. It was really interesting and at that time you could actually stay in the officer's quarters, but it required reservations. The best part was the rodeo. Normally, there are real cowboys putting on the show, but they were all off fighting forest fires in Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota. So, they turned it into a little kids' rodeo....and I do mean little! Some of the little cowpokes were only 3 or 4 years old! It was soooo cute!

11. Grand Island, Nebraska...our first sight of green grass since we left home (it was a very hot summer). Unfortunately, along with the nice green grass were swarms of mosquitoes! We stayed inside the camper until we left the next day!

12. By day seventeen we were getting a little road weary and the campground we had booked was one of those places where on the weekend all the locals go to camp and drink and play cards and music and drink. I said unh-uh, no way! So off we went to find a hotel and a restaurant. The only time we stayed anywhere but the camper and only the third time we had eaten out in 17 days. I'm a trooper.

We called home to make sure everything was okay and found out that Husband's 93-year-old grandfather had passed away the day before. So we headed for home right away.

13. We only got as far as Evansville, Indiana when the camper's spare tire went flat while we were driving. So the tire was ruined as well as the rim. Luckily we had AAA, but it was Sunday and no RV stores were open. We had the tow truck pull the camper to a service station and made arrangements to leave it there until Husband could come back and get it.

14. We made it home in time for the funeral the next day, with everyone intact and a smidgin of our sanity still within reach. Would I do it again? You betcha! But this time with grandchildren instead of children and a full-size camper with a bathroom!

(This is a duplicate post from Lens.Us.Together)

An abundance of bread

A few weeks ago I started volunteering at our local food pantry. I've wanted to for a while, but they never had an opening until recently. One morning a week I help three other women sort and bag day-old (or a few days old) bagels and artisan bread and assorted pastries that are generously donated by a nationally-known bakery and cafe and by a nationally-known (there's one on every corner) coffeehouse. Mixed in with the whole loaves of bread there are sliced breads that have been half used. They don't like giving those out to the people who patronize the food pantry, so the lucky recipients are the volunteers. A nice little bonus for a job that needs no compensation other than the feeling you get when you know you are helping other people.

The first week I was there, I received a huge bag with probably ten large loaves of artisan bread. They told me I could feed it to my chickens. After bringing it home, I realized that the bread was much too good to feed to the chickens, and anyway they didn't need to be eating that much bread. It's like chicken candy to them. So I rebagged it, gave some to my kids, and put the rest in the freezer. Yesterday I thought the whole family was coming for dinner so I thawed one of the loaves of seeded sourdough. It ended up with nobody being able to make it. So, what do you do with a huge loaf of white bread? You make bread pudding!

Assemble the ingredients:

6-8 cups cubed stale bread

3 large eggs

3 cups milk

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

(homemade organic, if you know someone who makes it)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter the inside of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, or equivalent deep casserole dish.

1. 
   
   Beat the eggs well, then add the sugar and beat.
   
2. 
   
   Beat in the vanilla, butter,  and cinnamon, then the milk.
   
3. 
   
   Pour over the bread cubes and stir in the raisins. Let sit for a few minutes so the bread absorbs some of the milk.
   
4. 
   
   Pour into the baking dish and bake 30-45 minutes, or until the top looks brown and crusty.
   
   
   

HARD SAUCE

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in small pan.

Whisk in 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons heated rum or whiskey until smooth.

But, I still had half a loaf left over after making the bread pudding. So I made croutons. The store-bought ones can't compare to homemade, and they're so easy.

Cut the slices of bread into one-inch cubes. I used about 6 large slices. Toss in a large bowl with a couple tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, one teaspoon Italian seasoning and 1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 for about 14-15 minutes, giving a stir about halfway through. Cool on the baking sheet and store in a plastic bag.

I ate all the ones that were almost burned. I don't mind making that sacrifice.

I couldn't just have bread items for dinner, so I made a soup that we love.

SAN FRANCISCO-STYLE SEAFOOD STEW (CIOPPINO)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped onion, or one large

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1 1/2 cups diced red bell pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon crushed fennel seed

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 bay leaves

1 pound mild white fish, such as halibut or tilapia, cut in bite-size pieces

1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/2 pound bay scallops

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1. 
   
   Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and saute for 3 minutes. Add bell pepper and saute for 7 minutes. During the last minute stir in the dried herbs. This helps release their flavor. Stir in garlic, chicken broth, wine, vinegar, tomatoes and bay leaves; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
   
2. 
   
   Add fish, shrimp and scallops. Cover and simmer 5-8 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Add the parsley at the end.
   
3. 
   
   Serve with crusty bread or top with homemade croutons.
   
   
   

NOTES: For a thicker broth, you may add 2-3 tablespoons tomato paste during the cooking process. I substituted a 1-lb. package of Trader Joe's (frozen) Seafood Blend for the shrimp and scallops. That's why you see calamari rings.