Author: Dackel Princess

Busy Thursday!

Today I made the mistake of asking Hubby what he wanted for dinner. Meatloaf. So besides changing the sheets, doing laundry, and going out with Lili for a run, I was chopping up vegetables and squishing the meatloaf until it was just right.

By noontime, I was already exhausted and I still had to finish cooking dinner, feed the dogs and then do dishes!

However, tonight I feel pleasantly pleased to have accomplished so much. Oh yes, and 22 days until my vacation!

I plan to rest on the deck of the ship, while we are at sea. I have 6 books on my kindle to read! I also bought Hubby a nice big book for him to read. I’m sort of a voracious reader, while Hubby is a contemplative reader.

I plan to go to the shows on board, and try new things. On sea days I will sleep in and while we are in port, I’ll be walking about taking pictures, shopping for Christmas and for Savannah.

I can hardly wait!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. My hubs spent last weekend pheasant hunting. Are there hunters in your family? If so, what do they hunt? Which of the following have you tasted-pheasant, rabbit, venison, duck, goose? Which of those would you most like to taste, or be most willing to taste?

When I bred dackels, I bred them to hunt wounded game for hunters. Four of them were exceptional. Hubby was a hunter in his youth. I have tasted them all, and I love venison, but I wonder, have you tasted wild boar? I was reluctant to try this, but when we were in Prague I tried it and it was delicious!

Vegetarians keep calm and Hodgepodge on.

2. What high spot have you visited that gave you a wonderful ‘bird’s eye view’ of something below?

I tend to avoid heights, but I guess the Empire State Building. That same day Hubby wanted to go up in one of the Twin Towers to the restaurant. Something in me said no, and I told him I didn’t want to. Years later they were destroyed during 9/11. I’ve always wondered if I had a premonition.

3. Do you have any birds in your home? These could be either real live pets or decorative, as in bird prints, knickknacks, fabric or pottery.

No, but there are plenty outside. Including our very own pair of Cardinals, and Bald Eagle.

4. Tell about a time you ‘killed two birds with one stone’?

Well, I knew that after Greta had her second C-section, her next litter of pups would not be register-able in Germany. (They allow only two C-sections) So, when the pups were born via C-section, I had her spayed at the same time.

5. Your favorite song with a bird in it’s title?

6. What most recently gave you goose bumps?

A cold wind blowing up my bathrobe, while I was out walking Lili in the back yard! Brrrr!

7. Halloween is this Friday…any plans? Did you trick or treat as a child? Carve pumpkins? Share your most memorable costume.

We live down a long dark road, so we never have trick or treaters. As a kid I loved it, until an incident that scared me so much. After that I never went out. With my kids, we always carved pumpkins, and my ex-husband always took the girls out, while I stayed home (happily) and doled out candy. My most memorable costume? In high school my ex-husband and I went as the King and Queen of Hearts. I made the costumes and it was fun.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I had so much fun shopping with my girl friend the other day, and I found some really cute tops, both knit and blouses. If I could find a nice dress I would be so happy, but I have my little black dress, so that may have to do.

Lili Marlene

Today was a dog day, all day long. I was walking dogs, cleaning their coats, and playing with them, and before I knew it, it was time to fix dinner for them and for us!

I have to say that at 7 months old, Lili is finally starting to get along with the three dackels. In turn, they are starting to accept her into the pack.

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Here is Anneliese sleeping on our sofa with Lili. Lili thinks that the sofa is her bed! Aren’t they cute?

It makes me so happy to see Lili settling in. I think this is the beginning of a long and loving friendship!

Autumn In Our Yard

So Sunday was the day I had decided to break down the garden. Take down the stakes, roll up the fences and prepare to clean the garden so we can fertilize it before the snow falls.

I managed to get what I wanted done today, in between the raindrops, and the wind, dressed in a warm jacket and my winter hat and gloves, I took Greta out with me and did my work.

Greta is so much fun to be in the yard with. She is old enough to know the rules, and she loves to go out and hang around with you. If I call, she is right there.

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In fact, at one point, I called and called and I couldn’t seem to find her, when I felt something on my leg. I looked down and there she was! I think she was probably laughing at me!

When we were done I came in and felt quite tired. So Greta and I curled up on my chair and I fell asleep with her in my lap. (I’m sure the other dogs were jealous!)

As the sun is setting tonight the clouds are an orange/pink color. The trees are nearly stripped of their leaves, and the train has ceased their leaf peeping schedule for another year.

It never ceases to amaze me, how fast time goes.

New Clothes!

Yesterday I went shopping at the local Outlet stores with my friend Laurie. I needed a few things for the trip, mainly sneakers. It’s been so long since I got a new pair, that I had forgotten how comfortable they can be! I got a pair of New Balance, in pristine white! I like that. Not sure why. They were hard to find, as today day-glow colors are all the rage!

I went to Talbot’s, and found several adorable tops, and everything was 40-75% off! One shirt I found has little dackels on it! At first I felt a little funny about it, but when I put it on, it fit nicely, and I could see that Savannah would like it on me!

Gasoline is down too. I filled up the Highlander with gas selling for $2.95 a gallon! We haven’t seen that in years! In fact when we bought the Highlander I was a little concerned about the mileage, as gasoline was selling close to $4.00 a gallon. But, the Highlander gets great mileage and gasoline prices are so much better. I pray it holds through the cold winter, as we heat with oil.

I noted that it is 28 days until we leave for our trip. We will have the house sitters come and move in here. Lucky for us we have a brother and sister who like our animals and can be here to care for them. Then we will go to Boston, park our car and spend the night. We’ll fly out in the morning to Fort Lauderdale, overnight again, and then the next day board the ship!

Then we will spend 10 days floating around, visiting a few different Islands and enjoying the sunshine. Be still my heart!

When we come back it will be a mad rush to prepare for Christmas. Savannah’s 3rd Christmas! How fun is that!

Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON

6-ounce chunk of bacon (unsalted and unsmoked. so basically pork fat)

9- to 10-inch fireproof casserole, 3 inches deep (large size)

1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil

Slotted spoon

3-4 pounds lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes

1 lb carrot cut into chunks

1 large sliced onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons flour

3 cups of a full-bodied young red wine, or a Chianti

2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cloves mashed garlic

1/2 teaspoon thyme

Crumbled bay leaf

18 to 24 small white pearl onions, brown-braised in stock.

1 pound fresh mushrooms, quartered, sautéed in butter

Parsley sprigs

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  • Cut bacon into lardoons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long).
  • Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is very hot, before you sauté the beef.
  • Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.
  • In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.
  • Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour.
  • Set casserole uncovered in the middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.
  • Stir in the wine and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered.
  • Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs.
  • Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
  • While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.
  • (I skip this next part, choosing to make the gravy right in the Dutch Oven with the stew.) When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.
  • Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
  • If it is too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon.
  • Taste carefully for the seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.
  • For immediate serving: Cover the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice and decorated with parsley.
  • For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Serves 6.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Elizabeth Lawrence is quoted as saying, ‘Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.” So have you done just that? And what did you leave undone in order to do so?

So far nothing. I even made a list day by day, of all that I need to do over the next month in order to get ready for our trip!

2. Since we’re talking turning…what’s one thing you feel you’re doing ‘every time you turn around’?

Walking a dog! LOL! It seems that after dinner I walk them all, and as soon as my fanny hits the chair, one of them decides they need to go out again! Wait! Actually this happens all day long!

3. How hard is it for you to ‘turn the other cheek?’

It was not something I came to easily, and yet, in order to live a happy life, I have had to. When I reach that point, I give it all to God.

4. When did you last turn a drawer, your car, a room, or your entire house upside down looking for something? Did you find it?

Just the other day. I was looking for a pair of slacks that needed a button. I thought they were on the shelf in my closet. But no. I looked at my Good Will pile. Not there either. A few days later, I brought my step stool into the closet, and they had fallen in back of a basket! Now to sew the button.

5. ‘One good turn deserves another’…were you most recently on the giving or receiving end of that sentiment?

I think receiving. I had a problem recently with an erroneous charge on my credit card. A wonderful clerk fixed the problem right up. I am so grateful.

6. Red, yellow, and orange are the colors of fall. Also the colors of fruit. If you were permitted only one color of fruit in your diet, which would you choose? This question isn’t as easy as it sounds, at least not for me.

Yellow. (Actually yellow and pink) This is for the colors of our peaches. This year they were amazing! Red, for our apples. I had the yummiest Macoun.

7. The Hunt for Red October, October Sky, Halloween…which ‘October’ film is your favorite?

The Hunt For Red October!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I made Julia Child’s BOEUF BOURGUIGNON for dinner tonight! Oh my goodness it tasted great! It did, however, take me all day to make. Still worth it.  Best tasting meal for a cool Autumn night!

Huh?

So, I made a little comment today on Facebook about looking forward to my vacation. I take one vacation a year, usually for 7 days, and during that time, I get a rest/break from dog care, house work, and cooking. After 40 years of doing this stuff, I don’t think that’s too bad, right?

I think each and every one of us have things we like to do. My sister loves renting a house near the beach and just sort of hanging out. My cousin does the same, except her Hubby likes to fish the lakes in the mountains! So, they do that too!

I digress.

No sooner had I put up this innocuous post, then an old friend made a rather not too nice comment. I sent a return comment, sort of brushing it off, and then he returned with a comment I thought was cruel.

So since this was all happening on my wall, I took the entire thing down. Why would someone, who is my friend, make statements about my upcoming vacation, just to make me feel bad?

Since I have no answers at all, as I said, I simply deleted the FB post. But my sensitive heart hurts just a little.

I will let you all know now, I do plan to write while on vacation and share the happiness and sunshine of my cruise.

Weekend Update

The weekend was filled with plans and work and doggies! I finally have all the plans set for our vacation! I saw a big airfare sale going on and managed to purchase one way ticked for $106.00 for each of us. At least this was I do not have to worry about flying stand-bye, and missing our ship! The flights have been flying full because of the airfare war, so I feel so much better having confirmed seats. We will stand-bye travel on our way back.

I worked around the house quite a bit, paying bills, doing laundry (does that ever end?) and playing and working with the dogs. It kept both me and the dogs off the street! LOL

It was also a great weekend to eat all the leftovers out of the fridge! Yay!!! Tomorrow I will wash it all up, so we can grocery shop and fill it all up.

Hubby is nearly done picking apples for the year, and today was tough for him. It was really chilly, and windy, and I think it made it hard for him. We’ve had an incredible year for the fruit trees. I think we produced more that we ever have in the past!

A big week is coming up. Lili is having a series of tests done for her illness, and this is the week we need to pull the air conditioners, and get the house all winterized.

Happy Monday!