Downsizing...

While Dave is in Georgia with Christie helping her get moved into her new apartment, yes... she finally was able to jump through all the hoops, I decided to tackle the dinning room and do a bit of downsizing. I don't know if it is actual downsizing but it is an arrangement that makes it look like there is less in the area.

First I cleared and moved my great-grandmother's Singer treadle sewing machine from the dinning room to the entry way. The credenza that was in the entry way was cleared and moved to the dinning room making a side board. I then took my great-grandmother's chair and put it under a painting in the dinning room. Then I took the leaf out of the dinning table reducing it from a 6 person setting to a 4 person setting creating more room in the area. Then I removed a small bookcase that holds my cookbooks and put a chair in that space. Now if I can get Dave to remove the shredder and his paper pile it will look good in there.

I'm trying to get a sense of space in the living room as we have some over sized furniture which includes a piano, which catches lots of clutter, a leather couch, 2 leather chairs and ottomans, coffee table, credenza, 2 side tables and a unit to hold the electronic equipment. The two rooms make one big room. I think if I get rid of the piano it will help besides I don't play it anymore. The demarcation line is the dinning room which has parky flooring with a rug and the living room has carpet. I'm contemplating pulling up the carpet and vinyl tile underneath and putting in Mexican tile. With the heat here in the summer a tile floor would help keep the house cooler, for winter I have area rugs I can put down to help the area stay warm.

While the troops have been gone I have been keeping the house at 75 degrees on the inside, day and night. It really is quite comfortable. Dave likes to knock it down to 72 at night but with the ceiling fans 75 is fine with me.

Sunday is laundry day and I have much more to do before Dave gets home on Tuesday so...

Happy trails...

Leaving The Nest...

Over the past week I have been writing about our youngest daughter who is moving to Georgia for a new job in her field. It has been an experience in finding an apartment, getting services turned on, all the while doing it long distance, packing up and all that goes with that.

The most frustrating thing I have experienced is the apartment manager people. They have been doling out information in piece mill style instead of giving all of it to us up front. After my husband an daughter got on the road today we were informed that the card that we were going to use for her deposit, now has to be in the form of a money order or a check. So happens hubby did not take his checkbook with him. I am now having to transfer money from the card to the bank and hopefully he can withdraw the full amount and get the money order. Such a pain.

She had to say goodbye to her dogs this morning and believe me they knew something was amiss. At the moment they are moping, poor babies. We will have them for a year. It will be interesting to see if they remember her when she gets back, I'm sure they will.

Darling daughter saying good-bye to her big boy Fitz William Darcy (Fitz) all 96 lbs. of him.

Here she is giving big hugs to her Miss Elizabeth Bennett (Lizzy) a sweet natured little lady.


All packed up and getting ready to pull out. Two cars and a U-Haul Trailer. Where would we be without U-Haul.

We said our goodbyes and kept in contact during the day, aren't cell phones wonderful? They arrived safe and sound at their first stop. I even utilized gasbuddy to get them to a station on the road with a reasonable gas price. I will sleep well tonight.

I miss her already. But this is the beginning of a new chapter in her life. God speed sweet one.

Happy trails...

Lasagna...A Dinner Fit for a....

Our daughter Christie is leaving for Georgia tomorrow and I wanted to fix a nice dinner for her before she left. Yesterday I let her make the decision as to what she wanted. After mulling it around for the day she decided on her grandmother's lasagna. My dad loved lasagna but didn't like the texture of cottage cheese or ricotta cheese, therefore my mom decided to try it with cream cheese instead, and it became an instant hit with the family. Here's the recipe that my mom would fix the family.
Teena’s Lasagna (Full recipe)
2 Lbs ground beef (we prefer lean meat)
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
4 Large cloves garlic mashed
1 Large Onion diced
1 large Green Pepper diced
2 bricks of cream cheese sliced short side (you may want to put in freezer for a few minutes before slicing)
1 package of lasagna noodles (cooked al-dente)
1 small can tomato paste 6 oz.
can of water (use tomato paste can)
1 Bag of Mozzarella Cheese
salt
pepper
1-2 Tbs. Basil
Spaghetti sauce mix. Nothing that has cumin or chili spice in it.
1 Large Jar of favorite Spaghetti sauce. I like Prego and or Bertolli Onion, Basil, Garlic sauce

In a large HOT skillet add oil, onion, bell pepper and garlic let sear for 1-2 minutes while stirring, turn fire to low cover and let cook stirring occasionally until onions are opaque. Remove from skillet into a large bowl.

Get skillet hot again and add a quarter of a pound of meat and brown, remove to bowl and repeat process until the whole two pounds are cooked.

Pour all of mixture back in skillet. Add tomato paste, half a can of water, spaghetti sauce mix, Basil, salt and pepper to taste. Don’t use too much salt, save the salt shaker for the table. Mix all together. If too stiff add more water or about a 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce. Don’t get it soupy.

Cook noodles according to package. Warm your spaghetti sauce in a pan.

Assembling the lasagna

In a large 3 qt. rectangular baking dish spray bottom with cooking spray. Put a drizzle of spaghetti sauce in bottom of baking dish, put in three strips of lasagna noodles. Cover with a layer of meat mixture, lay in a piece of cream cheese into every spot you want a serving to be. Large casserole I figure 1 brick per layer, cover with spaghetti sauce and a light dusting of Mozzarella cheese. Repeat the same with next layer. Last layer leave off cream cheese and top out with rest of bag of Mozzarella cheese covering whole casserole.

Bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes or until Mozzarella cheese is bubbly and has a nice light brown crust. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. I suggest putting dish on a heavy duty baking tray to catch any drips. Also this will make it easier to remove from the oven. Makes 9 servings.

Serve with a tossed salad and Italian Garlic Bread Sticks.
Dinner is served.
Happy trails...

One Year and 38 Years

Last year at this time I started blogging after returning from our first vacation minus kids. Something I had never done before was to journal. Growing up I could never get into the habit of keeping a diary or journaling, I never found anything I had to say worth writing down. But over the course of this past year I have read about the adventures of Bobbie and Jim, (Bobbie was the one who started me blogging) Laurie and Odel, Alan and Joan, The Bayfield Bunch, Mountain Born, Bill and Leslie, The Gypsy Journal with Bad Nick and a whole host of other RV'ers out there enjoying life on the open road and living out their dreams. Through your posts I feel like I have a wonderful world of new found friends that I can't wait to meet. So after reading all the wonderful posts, the lot of you have inspired me to journal or blog our experiences.

I find that I enjoy writing this blog, that it is very cathartic and helps me to release feelings and emotions that from time to time get pent up. It allows me to venture out with photos of food and snowy day photos and experiences I would normally not mention. I don't know if my writing has improved over the course of the year but I feel better about it than I did when I started.

Another year has passed and so many things have happened over that year. Dave and I have become grandparents to baby Noah. Our youngest daughter has found an internship in her field at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia and is preparing to move there for the next year. Dave and I will become empty nesters as of next weekend. I will feel the loss of this extraordinarily talented young woman and miss her presence in our house. I have had her around for 27 years, time for her to move on and start her life. Unfortunately she will not be able to take her dogs with her at this time and she is quite sad about leaving behind her Fitz and Lizzy. We don't mind taking care of them. Fitz is a rambunctious boy and Lizzy is ever the little lady with an ornery streak in her.Our oldest daughter came through a surgery that allowed her to have children. She and her darling husband bought their first house and now have a beautiful baby. Life couldn't be better.

Dave and I are celebrating 38 wonderful blessed years together today. It's amazing how fast those years go by. You blink and so much life passes by you and you find yourself wondering where the time went. Hold tight to the ones you love and let them know each and every day how you feel. Don't let a day go by without saying "I love you". That way you will never have any regrets.

Life is indeed beautiful!

Happy trails.

A Bit of Kick...

This morning while reclining in my adjustable bed, drinking a cup of java (it's a Sunday morning thing) I happened to turn on the cooking channel with Bobby Flay who was grilling up Korean Style Grilled Chicken (This was after watching Sunday Morning on CBS about all of us overweight Americans). It looked so good that it got my creative juices going and I decided that "I" could come up with a marinade for my own grilled Asian Chicken. "It can't be all that hard" I said to myself. A little bit of this and a bit of that, stir it together and pour over the frozen chicken breasts and then let thaw all day and let that marinade get worked in.

I pulled my ingredients and utensils together and started in. In a few minutes, after a few minor adjustments...what was it that Bobby Flay said about cardamon and curry? I have a bad habit of not measuring, I'm sort of a pour and go with it kind of gal. Instead of mashing out my garlic like Guy Fieri I have this cool little apparatus that quickly does it. I can then brush it off into my bowl. Hmmmmm...a bit more of this...ah...my marinade was ready and to me it was outstanding. Such flavor with a touch of hot. I can hardly wait to heat the grill up this evening. But what to have with it? Ah...I know, grilled potato fingerling's, sweet onions, peppers with a few broccoli florets thrown in for green. I would do a zucchini but Dave is not that fond of that particular vegetable, what the heck, I will do a zucchini anyways because Christie and I like them.

Ok, I know you're wondering what I put in my marinade, well here goes.

Susie's Asian Marinade

2 large cloves garlic ground or pasted
3 Tbls. Hoysin Sauce
2 Tbls. Oyster Flavored Sauce
1 Tbls. Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Chinese Sweet Chili Sauce for Chicken
12-15 Dashes of Tabasco Sauce
1 tsp. Toasted Sesame Oil
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar or Rice Vinegar
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 tsp Coriander pressed with mortar and pestle to break seed open
1/8 tsp curry powder (optional)

Mix all together in a bowl, taste for heat, add more Tabasco if necessary, pour over chicken in a Ziploc plastic bag, seal and marinade for 4 to 6 hours. Turn bag over every hour. Make sure you have plenty of wood soaking for your grill. I use mesquite wood. Grill however you would grill it and enjoy.

My garlic grinder plate, yes it's made in China. It grinds the garlic clove making it into a lovely paste and you can grind whole nutmegs and the plate will not hurt your nails or your fingers. You can find them at Walgreen's for around $10.00 in the seen on TV isle. I would not be without this set. Just rinse plate and brush off with water for easy clean-up. You can grind up some garlic add some crushed red pepper and olive oil right in the garlic plate and you have a dipping sauce for Italian bread sticks. Along with the plate and brush is a garlic clove peeler, stick in a clove of garlic, roll it back and forth a few times and walla... it takes the skins right off the garlic clove. Hold the clove by the root end and swirl it with a bit of pressure around the grooves on the plate and you'll have mashed garlic in just a few seconds. Brush garlic off with the brush provided and you are set to go.

Here's my plated Asian Chicken with grilled vegetables. Time to dig in folks. Boy does that look good, hey Dave pass the...

Happy trails...

Kennesaw State University

Our youngest daughter managed to snag an internship at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, doing what she got her Master's in, Athletic Academic Advising and helping to get a Learning Center off the ground. She leaves in 3 weeks with minimal possessions until she is able to find a second job that will support her and her bills. We will truly be empty-nester's then. At this time she will not be able to take her dogs with her which makes her sad.

Kennesaw is about 30 minutes Northwest of Atlanta. From the pictures I have seen it looks like a lovely area steeped in history. With Atlanta so close I'm sure she will be doing a lot of sight seeing of the area. Kennesaw houses The General which is a type of 4-4-0 steam locomotive that was the subject of the Great Locomotive Chase of the American Civil War. You can read more about it at the link provided.

My only objection is that Kennesaw is 13 hours away so it won't be so easy for her to get home to see family. Somehow she will manage. I look forward to her sending us pictures of the area. I just hope the people are nice there.

Happy trails...

Bunny's...

Yesterday evening we decided that we wanted something different for dinner so we hopped in the car and drove to Northwest Oklahoma City to a little hamburger joint called Bunny's. Bunny's is famous for it's Onion Burger, fries and handmade malts and shakes. Nothing artificial here.

Bunny's T-shirt, I just love the pink tie-dye job

The hamburger is simple fare, a bun toasted perfectly on the grill. Onion's that have been sliced, not chopped, piled high on top of the sizzling fresh ground hamburger meat that is cooking on a well seasoned steel surfaced grill. When ready the burger is flipped and the onions that were on top are now being caramelized on the grill the bun top is put on the top of the burger to be softened by the steam rising from the meat and onions. Once done Joey, the grill master, flips the bottom bun pulls the burger and onions to cap it and then plates it with the fries and dill pickles. The french fries are fresh hand cut potatoes fried to perfection. When served the burger is so hot that you have to wrap it in napkins to keep from burning your fingers.

This burger was plated just for this picture as it was a to-go order. To bad you could not see the mound of french fries you would get with it.

Bunny insists on serving fountain coke-a-cola that is very strong. It has that wonderful burn when it hits the back of your throat. I can remember the original coke in the little bottles from the 50's and when you drank one of those ice cold babies it would have that same burn. Mmmmmmm Goooooood! Every bite of the burger brought forth moans of happiness. Oh it is such a good burger.

Kaylee, Joey the grill master and Kialee. These two girls really took good care of us.

Bunny's is located at the corner of 50th and Meridian, 5020 N Meridian Ave. It's right across the road from Putnam City High School so you know what crowd it caters to. We have been having burgers at Bunny's for at least 20 years. Before that it was known as Joe's Onion Burger and we ate there for at 15 years before it became Bunny's. There is now a new south side location at 1023 S. Meridian Ave. It is better situated to I-40.

If you're passing though Oklahoma City and want a great onion burger I suggest hanging your hat at Bunny's and sit a spell and enjoy the food. 2 Thumbs Up!!!!!

Happy trails....

Our New Grandson...

Friday afternoon we slipped out of town to go south to see our new grandson baby Noah. After a marathon journey of 7 hours (which should only take 5) countless accidents and side trips to avoid and get around the accidents, we arrived at the hospital and saw our grandson for the first time.

What a beautiful baby. He is so precious. He's surrounded by a loving family that has lots of aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. So there are a lot of helping hands to assist the new parents. And we will be heading south as often as we can to see the little tyke.

Grandpa was holding Noah when dog child Sam decided that he had to get in on the action, keep in mind that grandpa is very ticklish. Sam has been a member of the family since he was 6 weeks old. So Noah has a great big "brother" and a great playmate when he gets older.

Things will never be so peaceful as they are right now. Give him a few years and Watch Out World Noah Has Arrived.
Here's Noah with his grandpa Jerri. It looks like they're both are tuckered out and having a great snooze. A great past-time for the 4th of July.

Grandma Irene came over on Monday and babysat Noah so we could go out and have lunch and do a wee bit of shopping.
Auntie Christie got a nice big yawn out of her new nephew.
Cousin Dillon holding his new baby cousin Noah.

Aunt Stephanie, Cousins Sydney and Ashley admiring baby Noah.
This is one lucky baby, to have a lot of family close by to love on him. What a wonderful way to come into the world.

Happy trails...