Monthly Archives: October 2014

Eating the Opponent and more

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Garden: progress is good. Tomatoes are in, whether green or slightly red, to ripen indoors. I pruned several plants and pulled several more. Peppers? Most will be frozen. I didn’t pull the plants yet because there are still tiny peppers on most of them! The straw bales may insulate the roots – will that be enough for another week?

Kitchen: Lots of plans, nothing really accomplished. Dear Sweet “Chuck” cooked all weekend. He’s amazingly awesome when it comes to the kitchen.

Planning ahead: I’m thinking Ropa Vieja for Eating the Opponent: Miami. It can be made in a crock pot and served over rice. Works for me!

It was a day full of close football games. I had to wait until all the OTs were over to record the totals in our weekly picks. Results: Buttercup the bunny is tied with Chuck for the lead with 8. I am one game behind them with 7 correct predictions, and Amigo trails with 4. All that is before Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football. Last Thursday? We all picked Green Bay, of course.

Pantry: I read an article titled 16 Indestructible Foods that would Outlast the Apocalypse. I don’t have corn syrup and Ramen noodles, and I don’t plan to buy any, but those are the exceptions. We have most of the rest. However, I’m still voting for Mary Burke for governor. I have no desire to experience any more Walker Apocalypse.

Oh, and laundry. All is clean, dry, and folded. Let the week begin!

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Putting the Garden to Bed – maybe

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My to-do list from Friday night had a big obstacle thrown in its way on Saturday morning: rain.

I put on a rain jacket and hat and went to a dreary farmers’ market. I bought squash, zucchini, and Honey Crisp apples. Each and every vendor said, “Thank you for coming out in this weather!”

Later on, I took advantage of a break in the heavy rain, put on a hoodie and baseball cap and brought in a batch of peppers and tomatoes. I was almost half done with the tomatoes when I realized it wasn’t just sprinkling anymore; it was a steady shower. I was getting soaked.

My logic runs like this. It’s warm enough to rain, so it won’t freeze overnight. I can leave the rest of the tomatoes on the vine for one more day.

And then, I went inside to start laundry.

In the process, I ended up spilling a light sprinkle of detergent on the carpet by the washer, so I pulled out the vacuum. At that point, I decided that every task I’ve attempted all day has ended in sprinkles or drizzles, I should just sit down and watch the Badger game with Amigo.

They were playing Northwestern – in the rain. At least I was dry.

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The To Do-Be-Do-Be-Do List Returns

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A killing frost threatens, so I must get at the final harvest tasks. The to-do list is growing, and here I sit on the couch, stretched out and relaxed with my laptop. Maybe all of this will look more possible tomorrow.

  • Dig up garlic plot. There may be at least three bulbs I can pull apart and plant.
  • Bring in all tomatoes big enough to ripen. They will ripen indoors.
  • Bring in the mini-greenhouse shelves and herbs.
  • Transplant blueberries into pails for the winter in preparation for the garage replacement project that would surely destroy them.
  • Make a trip to Fleet Farm for a backyard shed. Start moving garden tools and equipment out of garage and into shed.
  • Empty rain barrels. Turn them upside down for the winter.
  • Bring in any peppers of decent sizes.
  • Pull pepper plants out of straw bales.
  • Spread straw around garden.

Know what, friends and readers? Lying here with my laptop is looking better and better. Maybe I’ll work on laundry and take naps instead.

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Eating the Opponent: Minnesota

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For newcomers: We have a fun culinary tradition in our family. During the NFL season, we look at the Packers schedule, see who they are playing, and then plan to “eat the opponent” by serving local fare – the other team’s local fare. It’s a little tougher for our North Division opponents because our Packers face them twice every year – three times if it happens again in the playoffs.

The Minnesota Vikings are probably settling in for a nice long nap downtown in my fair city right now as I’m blogging. Consider the following: It’s about a 45 minute drive from our downtown to Lambeau Field, Green Bay hotels often fill up as soon as the schedule is released in the spring, and what opponent wants to stay in Packerland City surrounded by cheeseheads, anyway? The jokes on them, really. We have as high a percentage of Cheeseheads as Green Bay itself. But I was talking about food.

My go-to default for Minnesota games is wild rice. I can cook it as a side dish, stir it into a hotdish, or just about anything. Wild rice is delicious. When former Packer Brett Favre donned the dreaded purple and played for the Vikings, we served turnovers for breakfast. Long time fans will understand. This time around, I was searching. Simply making wild rice on the side didn’t feel like enough.

I did a quick Internet search for Minnesota game – hunting game, that is. I printed a list of game animals that are hunted in Minnesota, tucked the list in my purse, and headed to a nearby corner meat market. Everyone should have a corner meat market. It’s just an awesome little place. But I was talking about Minnesota.

I bought a pound of ground elk meat. It was pricey, but can you put a price on a Packer victory? Never mind. Don’t answer that. I pondered the possibilities, and by the time I pulled in the driveway (5 minutes later) I’d decided: Elk chili.

At this moment, while the Vikings are staying in a hotel with a restaurant called Vince Lombardi’s Steakhouse, I’ve browned the elk meat and I’m cooking a pan of home grown tomatoes for sauce. It’ll simmer in the crock pot all day long while I’m in school. If I do this Wisconsin style, Amigo will add noodles to it late in the afternoon. And there you have it: Eating the Opponent — Minnesota, with a Wisconsin twist.

Go! Pack! Go!

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