Friday Food: Done with School!

Friday 

Short version: Sloppy joes, raw radishes, yogurt with maple syrup

Long version: Thanks to state requirements increasing the number of instructional hours in our school year, we had to add a couple of Fridays to the school calendar. This was one of them. I had a small jar of barbecue sauce in the refrigerator, so I made sure to thaw some ground beef and then used the sauce and some frozen diced onions to make sloppy joes.

Those who were still hungry after their sandwich had the yogurt.

Saturday

Short version: Chili

Long version: I made this mostly to use up some lamb stock and canned beans that had been hanging around. It made for a good meal to feed those of us at home, and the two hunters when they came back pretty late from bird hunting.

Sunday

Short version: Birthday lamb steaks, quail, dove, fresh bread and butter, green salad with ranch dressing, pumpkin custard with whipped cream

Long version: The previous day's hunt yielded two quail and two doves. The children gutted and plucked these, and then I just roasted them whole. Both are very small. The quail is all white meat, like chicken. Dove is a very dark meat, like a goose.

This was A.'s birthday. He always likes lamb, so I pan fried some steaks from the back leg and then made a sauce with red wine and butter. I used that sauce on the game birds, too.

It was quite a meal.

Pumpkin custard is just pumpkin pie without the crust. I overbaked it. Boo.

Monday

Short version: Rotisserie chicken, fried chicken, rice, salad with vinaigrette

Long version: My parents arrived for a short visit just after we got out of school. They had stopped at the store before coming and bought two rotisserie chickens and some fried chicken. They got the fried chicken because for the eight of us, we really needed three rotisserie chickens, but there were only two at the store.

Most of the kids chose to have some of the fried chicken, so that was a nice option for them.

Tuesday

Short version: FFA food

Long version: This was the night of the big FFA fundraiser, which is a dinner and an auction. The FFA kids prepare the meal. It was ham, rice, green beans, salad, rolls, and a sopapilla cheesecake.

And then we had the auction. It raised a ton of money for the FFA, which was the point, but man, auctions are so not my scene. So loud.

I spent most of the day baking--mostly for the auction, but also for the next day's birthday and some gifts.

Gingerbread, sourdough bread, chocolate chip cookies, crispy rice treats, pecan pie. This is just the stuff I wrapped up for the auction. There was plenty more left for us.

Wednesday

Short version: Birthday shrimp, chicken, pureed potatoes, green salad with vinaigrette, pecan pie with vanilla ice cream

Long version: Three members of our family have birthdays in the second half of December. This was the youngest son's tenth birthday. He requested the shrimp and potatoes. Some of the family doesn't much care for shrimp, so I also made some chicken and gravy with the chicken I had pulled off bones after simmering the rotisserie chicken carcasses.

I used this recipe for pecan pie again--once again using maple syrup in place of the golden syrup--and it came out much better this time. I think because I chopped the pecans. Or maybe I baked it longer. In any case, it got many rave reviews.

Thursday

Short version: Refried bean quesadillas, still-frozen green beans, leftover bread pudding

Long version: I was at a basketball game until about 5:30 p.m., so when I came home with the basketball player, I just made some quesadillas with flour tortillas, cheese, and canned refried beans. The kids had been eating all day at school, what with making gingerbread houses in the morning, lunch, and then the holiday parties after that. They did not need an elaborate meal. And I didn't want to make one. So that worked out.

I did let them have the last of the bread pudding from the birthday boy's requested breakfast. Not that anyone needed anything with more sugar, but oh well. 

'Tis the season for sugar everywhere.

Refrigerator check:

Might need a grocery run before Christmas.

And now we are on Christmas break until January 6. Alleluia, everyone can SLEEP IN.

Okay, your turn! What'd you eat this week?

The Annual Tree Excursion

If you've been reading here for some years, you'll know that we always go cut our Christmas tree at a ranch about twenty miles away managed by a friend of ours. When we cut it depends on when we have the time and the weather cooperates.

This year, that day was Sunday. It was a beautiful day, about 55 degrees with that crazy-strong New Mexico sun.

Which is why I was of course wearing my crazy New Mexico sun hat.

This year we went in the same way and parked in the same spot, but we decided to go a little bit to the right of the track to get down into the draw. As soon as we started walking that way, I saw a tree.

Looks like a Christmas tree to me.

It was pretty funny that this perfect tree was right there these past few years when we've been hiking around looking for one. I mean, it was literally about thirty feet from the van.

I'm standing next to the tree here, and there's Adventure Van, patiently waiting to take us home.

Of course, the purpose of the tree expedition is not just to get the tree, so we didn't just cut it down and go home. A tree expedition that lasts for five minutes isn't much of an expedition at all. We had to go down to the dirt tank to play.

All the rain we got in the summer and fall filled it up nicely.

After spending some time chunking rocks into the water and running around the hills surrounding the tank, we walked back to the tree and cut it down.

A. had some help this year from one boy who wanted to be sure he was the one sawing when the tree fell, so he could yell "Timber!"

Then home to prop the tree in the metal bucket with rocks, bear it into the house, and decorate it.

Ta da!

I moved the nativity scene under the tree. This prompted the children to inform me that the little star that came with the set wasn't necessary anymore, since the scene was now under the big star on the tree.

No star to be seen.

The star is now with the Three Kings on the bookcase. They will be allowed to join the celebration on Epiphany (January 6).

This year's tree is one of the best we've found since moving here. And the adventure of getting it is always the best part.

Snapshots: For the Woodchuck Man

To my everlasting shame, I did not do my traditional Woodchuck Man* song last year on A.'s birthday. I seem to recall my brain just being fried and not being able to come up with anything.

I'm not doing much better this year, as I only have one verse. But at least I have something! Progress!

Here we go . . .

Who can dig the garden

With a shovel all by hand?

Who can grow a giant pumpkin on his very own land?

The woodchuck man

The woodchuck man can

The woodchuck man can 

'cause he uses what he has and makes it work for him. 

And, since this is supposed to be a snapshots post . . .

The FFA kids were making centerpieces for their Christmas fundraiser dinner this week. It was right outside my office, and it smelled really good with all the greenery around.

In the hallway by the main office. Everyone feels the stress this time of year, I guess.

Poppy stayed home sick one day I had to work. She was very unhappy about this, so I gave her a job: sorting my earrings.

Poppy had a spa day for her stuffed dog and decided they needed "spa cuisine." (That Fancy Nancy book has made quite an impression.) So she made yogurt with strawberry jam, bananas, and pink and purple sparkly sugar.

There you have it! My life, snapshotted. And happiest of birthdays to A.

* The last one was in 2022. It links to all the previous ones.

Friday Food: Elk

Friday 

Short version: Elk steaks, mashed potatoes, green salad with vinaigrette

Long version: A. took the youngest son elk hunting the previous week. Son successfully shot a cow (female) elk, and A. managed to pack out around a hundred pounds of it. Because of the crazy hilly terrain, he could only do one trip with the meat, but he still got a lot.

We left it in the cooler, covered with ice, for four days and cut it all up this day. I kept some of the steaks we cut from the tenderloin for dinner this day.

And they were tough. 

Boooooo.

I guess it needed to be aged a lot longer. It tasted really good, though. So I think most of this elk is going to be ground into hamburger meat. Which is what I actually prefer to have on hand anyway.

Saturday

Short version: Chicken taco soup, garlic bread, canned peaches and cottage cheese

Long version: I had a container of chicken stock and meat from the bones I had cooked down earlier in the week. I also had some pureed roasted tomatoes in the refrigerator, so I used those, a can of kidney beans, a can of black beans, some frozen corn, spices, sour cream, and some leftover rice to make a very tasty soup.

I even remembered to use some of the lambs quarters I dried, um, two years ago and have yet to use up.

The soup hater was very displeased with this meal, but he was somewhat mollified by the canned peaches. They were store peaches, which are still pretty good as long as they're the ones in heavy syrup.

Sunday

Short version: Braised elk steaks, carrots, rice, cucumbers with salt and vinegar, apple and rhubarb crisp with vanilla ice cream

Long version: This time I made the steaks more like grillades, cooking them in a tomato sauce for a long time. Still kinda chewy and dry. Definitely needs to be ground.

I threw in the rest of a bag of frozen blanched carrots in there with the meat, too.

This is halfway through serving, which is why there are only a few small pieces of meat.

I had five green apples left from a bag I got at the store. I used those, plus frozen rhubarb and the juice left from the two cans of peaches and extra sugar to make the crisp.

The topping got partially submerged because of the very juicy rhubarb.

Still delicious, though, even if not entirely crisp.

Monday

Short version: Spanish rice

Long version: One of those meals in which I dump a bunch of things in a skillet. This time it was some ground beef that I browned, to which I added leftover rice, the last of the pureed tomatoes that had been in the refrigerator, the last of some cheese sauce I had made over the weekend for a macaroni and cheese lunch, more grated cheddar cheese, taco spices, and frozen corn.

Definitely not fancy, but it gets everyone fed.

Tuesday

Short version: Sausage, chicken-y rice, various leftovers, grape tomatoes

Long version: The day I had made the trek to the dentist with one kid. I bought some smoked sausage at the store, which half the family ate along with rice I had cooked in chicken stock.

One kid had a sore throat and had the last of the chicken taco soup. One had the last of the Spanish rice. One had an iffy stomach and just had some of the rice. 

Wednesday

Short version: Beef and bean burritos, beans and rice, radishes

Long version: I had taken out a container of pinto beans cooked with ham to thaw. I had also taken from the little freezer a bag of random beef that I think I pulled off soup bones when I had made stock awhile ago. So all I did was simmer the beef pieces with some of the beans and their liquid, and then season it further with spices and salsa. That's what went in the burritos.

Some people also had the plain beans over rice.

Thursday

Short version: Pork chunks, biscuits, green salad with vinaigrette, crispy rice treats

Long version: Some of those pork loin chunks, fried and then I used the excess liquid from the beans on them. The beans had been cooked with onion, tomato, garlic, and ham, so they were pretty flavorful and the liquid made a good sauce for the pork when it had cooked down a bit.

The biscuits were just my standard baking powder ones. Everyone ate them with butter and strawberry jam.

I made the crispy rice treats as a thank you for the guy who gives us permission to cut our Christmas tree on his ranch every year. We're going this weekend, and his wife had mentioned awhile ago that he loves my crispy rice treats. So I made a half batch of them, set some aside for him, and used the rest for dessert after dinner.

Refrigerator check:

A lot of tortillas at the moment.

Okay, your turn! What'd you eat this week?

A Few Things of Note

It snowed last night. Only about an inch, but it will make my children happy. They, like all children, are really hoping we'll have snow on Christmas.

I have to drive one son to the dentist this morning. Although I'm not much looking forward to the 200 miles I will spend in the car today, it will give me the opportunity to buy the gifts two boys are supposed to have for their class gift exchanges. I was just given the suggested gift ideas yesterday, which means no time to get anything ordered online and delivered. My choices for gift-buying today are Tractor Supply, Dollar General, and the grocery store. I can work with that.

I went to our staff Christmas party last night and I brought this maple popcorn. Holy cow, is it good. 

I had to put the finished product out of sight on top of the refrigerator so I wouldn't keep grabbing a few pieces every time I walked by it.

I tripled the recipe, because six cups of popcorn doesn't really go that far*. I also added a full half teaspoon of salt, instead of a few pinches. The recipe as written will make something like caramel corn. If you add more salt to it, it makes something like kettle corn, which I like much better.

Using the dark maple syrup works so well for this. So much flavor.

It was, I must admit, a little bit of a pain. One of these days I should probably get a candy thermometer for things like this, so I'm not messing around with bowls of ice water to determine a "soft ball." Also, I decided halfway through that I didn't have nearly enough, so I was popping popcorn while making the syrup. Also also, I made so much, there was just a lot of bulk to be finding bowls and pans for.

Worth it, though. I would recommend it for any party you might be attending this season. It would also be very handy to make and put in little bags for any larger groups of people you might need gifts for, like neighbors or co-workers.

That's all my notes for today. Have a lovely day.

* It doesn't go far with my family, that is. A single recipe would have been adequate for my party contribution, but there was no way I was getting out of the house without leaving some of this for my family to eat while I was gone. They can eat a lot of popcorn. Especially popcorn liberally drizzled with maple syrup and butter.

Snapshots: Christmas Decorations, Etc.

I am very minimalist in my decorating, both because I don't have much storage for seasonal things and because I just don't enjoy doing that much rearranging in my home. 

But I did put out some things for Christmas.

In the living room.

Also in the living room.

The Wise Men can't be in the scene until Epiphany, according to my children, so they're hanging out with Mary, St. Michael, and St. Martin for now.

Poppy made the all-important Advent Chain to count down the days until Christmas.

I even have some outdoor lights this year.

That window faces the road that does get some traffic, and I've wanted to have outdoor Christmas lights since we moved here. I just love seeing other people's lights, and I wished we had some for other people to enjoy as they drive down our very dark dirt road. I was stymied by our lack of outlets, but this year I figured I could just run the cord through that window there into the living room. There's an outlet right under the window, which is not very tight, anyway.

I bought the white lights to replace my Time Change Lights, because half the strand I had up stopped working. I bought "warm white" lights at Walmart and THEY LIED. They were so far from warm. They were also LEDs, which meant they did that weird thing where they're sort of pulsing so fast you can't really see it happening, but it makes your eyes ache.

Those were not going up in my house.

They're perfect for outside the house, though! Nice and bright. I was very proud of myself for making the star shape with the white lights. One nice thing about having a decrepit trailer is that a few nails hammered in here or there on the siding is no big deal.

We haven't cut our tree yet. We'll probably do that next weekend.

This is all that's left of the box of ripening tomatoes on the floor:

Consolidated into a small bowl on the liquor cabinet. 

And last, I finally ordered some new house shoes. I don't wear slippers, instead wearing cheap zero-drop shoes when I'm at home. They're ugly, so I don't really go anywhere in them, but they are comfortable and easy to slip on and off if I need to.

I replace them about every 18 months. I always keep them a little too long, and by the time I finally replace them, they have little tears in them and are super gross and stained.

The one on the right was the same color as the one on the left when I bought it.

There you have it! My life, snapshotted.

Friday Food: Chutney!

Friday 

Short version: Poppy's Frito Pie, car salad and sushi rolls

Long version: I was gone at dinnertime, driving to the airport to pick up the traveler. Poppy was unhappy that she wasn't coming with me, so I assigned her to make dinner as a way of distraction. There was leftover chili for Frito pie, so it was really just microwaving, chopping, and gathering things together.

I wrote out everything she needed to do and put all the necessary items together in the refrigerator.

A recipe of sorts.

She took this very seriously. I asked A. how Poppy's Frito pie was, and he said, "Great. It was just like when you make it."

Too bad he didn't take a picture of everything all laid out. He was very impressed, though.

Meanwhile, on the road, I got myself a chef's salad at the grocery store and ate it on my lap in the car while I was sitting in the parking lot.

Unbeatable ambiance.

For the traveler, I got some spicy sushi rolls at the store and some chocolate milk, which he ate out of his lap in the car as we were driving home.

Saturday

Short version: Creamy duck soup, garlic bread, peanut butter cookies

Long version: Turkey soup is pretty ubiquitous in most households after Thanksgiving. This was the duck version, made with the carcass from our Thanksgiving duck. I added some cream, too, which always makes soups better.

I had made the garlic bread a few days previously when I was baking bread, with no particular plan in mind for it. It was perfect to go with the soup, though.

As were the peanut butter cookies.

Sunday

Short version: Pork loin chops, Thanksgiving leftovers, cheater's chocolate fondue

Long version: I used the rest of the duck gravy on the pork chops, and then everyone got some stuffing, corn, and cranberry sauce. All of these things go with pork just as well as with poultry.

A. was gone elk hunting with the youngest son, so for the three children at home, I just melted chocolate chips and coconut oil in little bowls and let them choose from graham crackers, marshmallows, or peanut butter cookies to dip in it. One chose the graham crackers. The other two went with marshmallows.

Monday

Short version: Hardboiled eggs and toast, duck soup and toast, pork, cherry tomatoes

Long version: We were kind of all over the place for dinner this night. I didn't get home from work until 5 p.m., and at that point, only two children were home with me. One of them had been sick. I had several hardboiled eggs on hand, so for those two children, I heated up mashed hardboiled eggs with lots of butter, and they had those with toast.

I had two boneless pork chops still, so I fried those. One was for me, and I had it with pickled carrot ribbons. The other was for the basketball player. For him, I microwaved a potato, which I then chopped and fried with his pork chop. He had the tomatoes, too.

The (successful!) hunters returned around 7 p.m. They hadn't eaten dinner yet, so for them, I heated up bowls of the duck soup. And then they had toast with strawberry jam.

Tuesday

Short version: Roasted chicken leg pieces, baked potatoes, green salad with vinaigrette

Long version: One package of chicken leg quarters is four drumsticks and four thighs. This is not quite enough for my family. Two packages is (I'm sure you figured this out) eight of each. This is too much for my family. However, I figured too much was better than not quite enough, so I cooked the entire two packages. 

All I did was salt them for an hour or so--this seems to help a lot with grocery store chicken flavor and texture, though I'm not sure why--and then heavily season them with paprika and garlic powder before roasting them at 400 degrees with some butter in the pans. 

They took WAY longer than I thought they would. Mostly the thighs, which were very big and took over an hour to be done. Tasty, though.

Look! Food on a plate!

This was the eldest child's plate, I believe.

Wednesday

Short version: Toasted beef and bean burritos, carrot sticks

Long version: A. had purchased some ground beef at the store to cook while he was hunting, but since they got their elk on the third day and didn't have to stay to hunt the entire five days, he brought some home. He said it probably needed to be cooked right away, so I actually cooked it on Tuesday. I just made it into taco meat with beans, salsa, and spices, and put it in the refrigerator to make the toasted burritos this day.

A good after-work dinner.

The carrot sticks were from the other big carrot I dug out of the garden last week. Garden carrots are way better than grocery store carrots. No surprise.

Thursday

Short version: Chicken and split pea curry, rice, chutney hooray!

Long version: I used the leftover chicken to make this curry, along with the stock I had made from the chicken bones, carrots and green beans from the freezer, a few of the tomatoes from the box on the floor, the leftover baked potatoes, cooked green split peas, and cream.

The really exciting part of this was that I finally had chutney to put on the curry. The chutney is supposed to age for six months before being eaten, but I like to live dangerously, so we ate it after only three weeks. It was delicious. But will presumably be more delicious in five months.

Refrigerator check:

Many random jars. As is typical for my refrigerator.

Okay, your turn! What'd you eat this week?