>The eyes have it

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Paperwork. I felt like I was signing as many documents as I did when we refinanced the mortgage. This time it isn’t the house at stake; it’s my vision. There was so much to browse that they gave me a tote bag to carry it all home! Sneaky advertising for the clinic, I guess; tote bag, sunglasses, and coffee mug.


Why all the paperwork? I’m getting cataracts removed in October. I’m also opting for the most expensive (read: not covered by insurance) replacement lenses. I rationalized it this way:
  • The cost will pay for itself. No more glasses, contacts, or related expenses.
  • I’m considered “young” for this surgery. I have many years ahead in which to enjoy good vision. I did laugh that 50 is considered young; I was the oldest in the waiting room at the OB/GYN, well past my prime baby years.
  • My hearing loss is progressive; it will get worse. I need my vision at its best.
Good enough? I hope so. It’s going to be painful paying for this — much more than the surgery itself. Deep breath, tighten the belt, harvest fresh food from garden….

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>Beer Bottle, er, Barrel Polka?

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We were leaving a beer sampling event at the Railroad Museum – Rails and Ales Brewfest. I’d had a few samples and a bit to eat; Chuck had tasted a bit more. We were relaxed, not buzzed, and felt safe getting into the Subaru to go home.
Then we saw this in the distance.


Chuck burst out laughing. I reached for my camera. He said, “Do you see that, too? Maybe I had more than I thought! Beer bottles are appearing everywhere!”
I reassured him that I did, indeed, see the large bottle emerging from the trees. As passed the county fairgrounds, we realized it was a hot air balloon.


Whew. That was a relief. Life is good, but I really don’t want to wear my beer goggles while we’re on the road.

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>Tomatoes + Peppers = Salsa

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My dear readers;
I’m in my final session of training for my new job, and I’ve been using most of my online time to learn the new software for presenting live lessons to my online students and their learning coaches. I must beg off from presenting a new recipe today. I posted this one last fall and made it again last week. Since I have tomatoes and peppers ripening like crazy, some of you must have those around, too. Feel free to adapt the peppers to include whatever you’re harvesting! A hot red chili pepper instead of the dried kind… a sweet yellow banana pepper instead of the yellow bell… you know how these things work.


Tomato Salsa Dip


1 small to medium onion, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
4 ripe tomatoes, cored, peeled, and diced (mine were small, so I used 7)
1 cup tomato juice
2 teaspoons dried hot red pepper flakes
5 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 Tablespoons water
Directions:
1. Warm the onion, peppers, tomatoes, tomato juice, hot pepper flakes, red wine vinegar, and brown sugar in a saucepan.
2. Mix the cornstarch and the water and add to the simmering salsa.
3. Stir until thickened. Then remove from heat and allow to cool.

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The Big Orange Barricades

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Wisconsinites like to say that there are two seasons: winter and road construction. We’re currently in the latter season. The evidence is everywhere. In fact, road construction barricades have their own names in this part of the country.
See these? We call them Schneider Eggs.
Without Schneider eggs, where would the big orange trucks come from?

Last week I heard a bus driver refer to the orange markers as “Wisconsin’s State Flower.” Ooh, ooh, here’s a bouquet growing in — gravel?
I see these flowers spread out when they’re allowed to grow in grass.
If the big orange cones are Wisconsin’s State Flower, what are these?
Seeds?

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>Pantry Raids and Planned-Overs and Booyah

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Recipe Lion’s August Blog Hop features budget recipes. I think of budget many times as I’m cooking and baking and canning, so I couldn’t really zero in on one recipe to contribute. Then I started making supper for tonight.
Let’s back up. Yesterday Amigo and I were in Green Bay for an appointment around noon, so we went out for lunch at a family restaurant across from Lambeau Field. I ordered a Northern Wisconsin favorite, chicken booyah. No, that’s not misspelled. Booyah is a thick soup of chicken and vegetables. Legend has it that booyah originated in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with the trappers and fur trappers. It’s a mangled version of a French term (you recognized it, right?) and the dish was originally made with fresh turtle meat.
My booyah is a little like my minestrone soup (a little of every vegetable in the house, a soup stock from the freezer, and a can of beans). Today’s booyah started with vegetable stock from the freezer, several vegetables, and a shredded chicken thigh left over from earlier this week. Vegetables included leftover corn sliced off the cob, frozen peas, a few shallots from the garden, green pepper, two diced potatoes, and… did I forget anything? Two cloves of garlic. This soup looks thick and savory. I added a small chicken breast because I didn’t think the one thigh was enough, and topped it off with a can of diced tomatoes to add flavor to the broth.
That wonderful mix simmers in the kitchen right now. It won’t even need noodles or rice or crackers by the time it’s done. Tasty? Oh, yes, it’ll be tasty. In fact, I should go add a few herbs right now. Rosemary, maybe. Or thyme. If I throw some thyme in the pot, does that mean I’ve made thyme fly? Uh-huh. I thought not.
There you have it, readers. Planned overs: chicken thighs, sweet corn, a little extra made with the intention of adding to another dish later. Pantry raid: every vegetable in the house, including a few from the garden. No shopping required! If I make booyah or minestrone later this month, it’ll contain zucchini.
Visit Recipe Lion’s August Blog Hop by clicking on their badge below. enjoy!!

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>Moving to Milwaukee in a Big Truck

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Due to last minute planning, the rental truck was quite a bit bigger than we needed.
Did I say big? How big was it?

It filled the driveway. We barely had room for La Petite’s Saturn.


Did I say it filled the driveway? Look out for the trees!!


Did I say it Filled the Driveway?
Hold your breath and suck in your stomach while you squeeze past.


Did I mention the truck was Much Bigger Than We Needed? Here is the load. That’s all of it.


Big or small, truck or trailer, they headed out to the highway and got the move done.
Meanwhile, I stayed home and made pickles.

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Apple Butter Experiments

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I made an apple butter last night and I wasn’t fully satisfied with the results. I looked up my old crock pot recipe and decided to combine the two. If I use the right proportion of lemon juice to apples to keep the acidity high, I should be able to can these, right? I’m using Dutch because it’s early in the season and because I made great freezer apple butter with Dutch apples last summer.

Here’s the original; I’ll post the combined recipe later if it’s successful.

part I:

Ingredients

Apples, 12-14 medium or 10-12 large (fill crockpot about 3/4 full)

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Directions

Peel, core, and quarter apples. The option exists to take out the peels later, after cooking, but I had a hard time doing that because the finished product was so thick.

Place apples and vanilla in crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until apples are very soft.

After cooking, mash apples with fork or potato masher.

Part II:

Ingredients

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 Tablespoon molasses (optional)

Directions

Cover again and cook on low for 4-6 hours. If you like your apple butter smooth (I do), blend with an immersion blender.

This was very thick and flavorful. Serve on bread, graham crackers, or in place of the jelly on a PBJ. More ideas? Add comments, please! I’d love to hear them.

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>Gatekeepers. I hate them.

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>”Good news, Daisy! You’re off the wait list for our clinic. We have an opening on August 31 at 7 AM.”

Me: I’m sorry, I can’t make that date and time. What else is available?
Gatekeeper: We have an opening Monday, August 1st, at 8:00 AM.
Me: I’ll take that one.
Gatekeeper: We’ll send out paperwork for your initial appointment.
Scene: Daisy getting mail on Friday.
Me: Oh, no! This date is wrong! It says August 31 at 7! I said no to that date!
(calls clinic, connects with new gatekeeper, explains problem)
Gatekeeper: Okay, we’ll cancel the 7:00 appointment on August 31st.
Me: I have 8:00 on the 1st on my calendar.
Gatekeeper: With which doctor?
Me: (reads name off paperwork)
Gatekeeper: He’s not even here on the 1st. Your appointment is on the 31st.
Me: No, I refused that date. It doesn’t work for me.
Gatekeeper: Okay, we’ll cancel the 7:00 appointment on August 31st and put you back on the wait list.
Me: But… but… I’ve been waiting since March.
Gatekeeper: Is this okay?
Me: No, it’s not okay. (pause) It doesn’t sound like there’s any other option.
Gatekeeper: (pause) Thank you. Goodbye.
Now what? Another five months’ wait? The local health care system certainly doesn’t take depression very seriously. I guess I’m on my own – again. Still.
Note to self: it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Take time, and look at the big picture. Family doc is doing a good job so far; all will (eventually) be well.

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