It's been suggested this is far too much work. I like knowing what's in the broth. I LOVE making something which will save us money from things we would have thrown out otherwise - veggie scraps and carcasses.
Ingredients:
1 Turkey carcass
Drippings from turkey
Bag of veggie parts*
leftover gravy
3 - 5 bay leaves
8 or so peppercorns
6 whole cloves
salt to taste
4 Qts water (I just fill it to the top)
*I dumped in a LOT of thyme, rosemary, parsley, marjoram this time and it tastes much better - use your taste preferences.
*Bag of veggies - onion stops, carrot ends, celery pieces...whatever I have left over or from chopping goes into a a gallon bag in the freezer. When I make stock I dump it into the pot.
Directions:
Bring to a boil. Skim off the foam that rises.
Simmer long enough for broth to reduce by 1/2 - this takes 3 - 5 hours. I've discovered if I let it reduce by about 1/4th - it is at a 1/2 when I remove the bones and strain the veggies.
Remove bones, strain veggies. I strain in my colander 3 or 4 times. If you want it without any bits of herbs - use cheesecloth.
Cool in fridge or out in snow on deck.
Skim the fat off the top.
Put into freezer bags or begin the canning process.
Some of the process is in this video at the 1:40 mark.
It appears that ice management will play big in our first Spring in Alaska. More on this on the video.
Michael had no therapy or tests today. He had another sleepless night last night. Maybe a word on this is in order. This is not simply insomnia. Some have suggested we need to work harder at casting anxiety on God....while this may be true, it is NOT the main root of the insomnia around here. Some nights the tremors (external and internal) are worse than others and keep us awake. Other nights it IS insomnia caused by meds. On top of the Parkinson's, Michael has a variety of chronic pain symptoms stemming from Gulf War Syndrome. GWS encompases a host of symtoms; both arthritis like, GI related and fibromyalgia - in other words his muscles and joints are both on fire. The VA has been great at figuring out what was WRONG, but not so good at offering any answers to reduce the pain. His pain level has not been below a 4 in years....and at times it's enough to keep him awake or pacing the floors. He doesn't complain. It's amazing, isn't it? He slept in today - and it was a well earned sleep.
I busied myself during this rare "at home" day with "house admin" type stuff. I worked on figuring out a tricky insurance claim, in the process I discovered our prescriptions have gone up in price. I had a few women's ministry contacts to follow up - answering questions about the start of our upcoming Bible study and how to get on Facebook, solidifying details for April's Gathering. I finished the broth and canned it AND we had Orange Chicken (from scratch) for dinner. This continues to be a favorite and is healthier and cheaper than Panda Express.
The kids did school. The boys helped with ice removal. Stacia helped me with dinner and helped Bre with a walk. Michael gave me confidence the pressure cooker was working as intended.
Is it rain? It's snow. It's rain. It's big, fat, slushy, drops of snow that splat when they land.
It's warm enough that snow is falling off the roof again. It used to slide off in big sheets. Now, it splats and splashes like big, squishy cow pies from heaven. Seriously.
We worked on school, a few projects, took walks, and always snow and ice management.
Springtime in Alaska
Yes, I called it Spring. I've done a bit of polling among locals. This is what emerges as the consensus. Spring, if you have it in Alaska, is this. March and early April will be full of warm days, freezing nights, periods of melting followed by big storms of wet, slushy snow. Noticeably absent, as of yet at our place, are tulips, green grass and budding trees. If one wants to have spring - this is it.
Break-up will happen in mid- late April. The nights will get warmer. A cosmic switch is flipped and all of a sudden mountain snow is melted, water rolls down the roads, yards give way to grass and the weather stays above freezing. I've heard over and over, "They legalized studded tires until May for a reason." There it is! We may have a few more storms in our future.
Summer will come quickly on the heels of Break-up. If we want Spring - this is it it. We are finding the seasons fascinating.
Stacia has been working on a Home Ec class this year. She's completed several sewing projects (PJ's, a dress, pillows, placemats), several knitting projects (hats and more hats and a scarf is in the works), and has learned a myriad of cooking tricks. She can bake cookies, cakes and cheesecake from scratch. She makes several entrees: Enchiladas, Tacos, Chicken Divan, Veggie Pot Pie... Part of her class has been participating in Raddish Cooking Club. Each month she gets a box with a cookie tool, some conversation starters, three recipes and more. This month they all centered around an Irish Theme.
She asked to make dinner. I was her sous chef - I basically cleaned up and chopped. She did a great job. In the video we ask - is this mint green or blue? There was an on-going debate about this on Saturday. LOL
If you'd like to watch her preparing dinner, click here. If you don't want to miss future videos, subscribe and click the bell icon to get notifications.
Everything was wonderful! I'll post recipes below.
Lucky Leek and Potato Soup A Traditional Irish comfort food - we understand why. Ingredients:
2 lbs or Russet potatoes (about 4 small)
1 Onion
1 large Leek
3 T Butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 C vegetable Broth
1/2 C Heavy Cream (opt if you want it vegan)
Directions:
Peel and cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Set aside.
Dice onion.
Cut root away from leek. Slice both white and green parts into thin pieces. Wash leeks in colander until water runs clear. Add to onions.
Saute leek and onion in butter. Add salt and paper. Cook until soft, 6-8 minutes
Add broth and potatoes. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer on low 15-20 minutes.
Puree soup until smooth. (We may leave some potato chunks in the future). Irish Cottage Pie An authentic savory pie. Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes (about 3)
1 T + 1 tsp salt (salt to taste)
1 onion
2 carrots
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1/4 tsp garlic powder (we used quite a bit more)
1 T worcestershire sauce
1 tsp thyme
1 T tomato paste
3 T flour
1 1/2 C beef broth
1/2 C frozen peas (used corn instead)
1/3 C milk
3 T butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450*.
Peel potatoes, cut in to 1 inch pieces, add to large pot, cover with water and 1 T salt. Bring to biol over high heat, reduce heat to medium. Cook until tender, 20 min. Drain. Continue to prepare filling while you wait.
Dice onion and carrots. Heat oil in pan over medium high heat. Add carrots and onions. Cook util softened, 6-8 min.
Add beef, salt, garlic powder, worcestershire, thyme, and tomato paste. Break beef into small pieces.
Add flour, broth, and peas. Bring to boil. Cook until thick, about 2 min. Add filling to 8x8 baking pan (ours was a bit bigger).
Mash potatoes with butter and milk.
Spread potatoes even on top of filling.
Bake until potatoes are browned and filling is bubbling, about 15 min.
Sticky Toffee Pudding Irish-style pudding - a dense cake topped with toffee sauce!
Tastes WAY better than it looks!
Ingredients: Date Cake
8 oz pitted dates (1 1/4 C)
1 1/4 C water
1 tsp baking soda
1 stick butter
1 C brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 eggs
1 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*.
Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
Add dates, water and baking soda to pot. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to med-low and cook 3 min. Turn off heat, cool 2 min. Add date mixture to blender. Blend until smooth.
Add softened butter, brown sugar and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
Add eggs, flour, baking powder, and salt to blender. Blend just until combined.
Pour into pan. Bake 30 -34 min, until toothpick comes out clean.
Ingredients: Toffee Sauce (Prepare AFTER baking)
1/2 C cream
1 1/4 C brown sugar
6 Tb butter
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp salt
Directions:
Add cream, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt to medium pot.
Bring sauce to boil over high heat. Cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Poke holes in cake with a toothpick. Pour half of the sauce on top.
I know, I know, I know. It's NOT Spring. It may not even be Break-up. I haven't any real clue. I've been told March will be full of warm, melty days and then inches of wet, heavy snow! Break-up comes when? March? April? Break-up IS Spring? Break-up signals Spring's arrival? I've been told this is not break-up yet.
WHATEVER - it feels like Spring. Temps broke 40*. It was a great day. Michael had a sleepless night - and I got 4 hours of sleep - so the weather was just the pick me up we needed around here.
Michael and Izaak took the insulation off the RV in order to get the RV's engine started. This proved to take a lot longer than expected. Look at the chunk of ice the RV is sitting on. In the end, it started.
Nolan and Alex will be joining the older 3 boys for another 4 day epic hike up Resurrection Pass in May. The training has begun. Alex is spending an hour a day on the elliptical. Nolan declared it a good day for a long walk. He loaded his pack with 30 lbs of books and he, Stacia and I took off.
Question of the day: How does white snow magically turn brown when it melts off the mountain? ::snort;; Obviously, we still have lots of snow...but the roads are clear and it was a glorious day for a long walk. Nolan calculated our walk at 5 - 6 miles. I should have taken a clue from the kids - the sweatshirt was too warm by the end of the walk.
As we headed back to our road, Nolan got a phone call. Don't you love cell phones? Alex, Arielle and Benny were out walking and wondered where we were. We met up and headed home. It was a pit stop for me, Nolan and Stacia called it a day.
Alex, Arielle, Benny and I decided to walk on down to get the mail - another 1.5 miles. Yuuki gave out on the last .25 mile. I felt like giving out at the same spot - but there was noone to carry ME. I walked at least 6.5 miles - got my steps in - FINALLY.
Back at home, Michael had gotten the RV started and dug trenches through the snow berms...trying to direct the melt. I got 3 blog posts published, and two videos saved to YouTube. I did NOT figure out how to do the videos in Lightroom - but I got them done with Movie Maker. Stacia made us a wonderful St. Patrick's day dinner (post to follow), Michael did swallowing exercises, we watched "Leap" and then the kids called it a day.
I'm on a quest to find alternate planting containers for my seedlings. I refuse to pay for any more trays and have hundreds of seeds to go. Ideas?
Responses to comments I've heard:
1. I know you don't think it can be Spring with 2 feet of snow on the ground - but it feels like it.
2. It is a DRY heat up here - yes, 35*, 40*, feels WARM - and IS shirt-sleeve weather. I am not being careless with the children's health.
3. I am planting seeds now to get a jump start on our very short growing season.
4. Michael is not always left at home working - he stays home as long walks are no longer comfortable for him. When he wants to go, he does and pays the price. He encourages me to go.
5. Break-up - the time when the snow melts from the mountains and homes and rushes down to creeks and rivers. It's a mess.....and then Spring arrives - or maybe that is spring in Alaska....I've not figured it out.
At first glance, the view from our kitchen window looks like Spring. The snow is sliding off the roof, the temps are warming up....but yesterday we did NOT have snow covered trees, the snow along the road was a lovely muddy brown, and the drives, patio and walks were all shoveled clear.
It started snowing yesterday morning and continued all day and evening. This is our deck railing. It piled up deeper in the front and sides of the yard.
Our valiant weather station!
Yesterday morning there were more bare patches and I was wondering just how wet it will be here when the snow comes down the mountain....today, it's dressed in Winter finery again.
Even the power lines are pretty dressed in snow
It is so incredibly beautiful, peaceful, relaxing and serene. I came out on the deck and sent a Marco Polo to my Cousin and to Krista. Then I took some more views and decided to put together a video. Later, I realized I was in my pjs (sweat-shirt over the top), no make-up, hadn't combed my hair - ah well - it's real!
Imagine the boys shoveling, Michael answering questions, snow sliding off the roof - and eventually I'll figure out how to make it all come together in one of the video editing programs. Link to come? I am going to have to remember to get still shots as well.
Stacia and I worked in the house, finished school and then decided we needed to go out and explore. I have been dying to get the snow shoes on and spring is coming - believe it or not. (Video to follow of this as well). We thought it would be great fun to take our hot drinks out to Stacia's imagination station in the woods.
There is obviously something I am missing in the technique. I did not glide across the top of the snow. At one point I sunk up to my waist. Snow pants may be a good plan in the future. When one is DOWN, it is HARD to get back up with those things on your feet. Here, Stacia snaps photos (and video) until I tell her to turn it off and help me up! ::snort::
It is a beautiful walk!
The walk was much easier when I ditched the snow shoes!
Tea break - but - um - really - there is nowhere warm to SIT in the woods in winter. We may need to put a bench out here and keep it covered.
We brushed off the snow and enjoyed some Mommy Daughter time...the warmth in our throats and tummies, battled the numbness of our bums.
Note the snow falling from the tree on the left of the photo.
Right onto us...
Standing in the woods, with snow falling off the trees, reminded us of picnics in the park during Cherry Blossom season in Northern Japan. Japan was a tad bit warmer than the snow. Our home from the back....with Lazy Mountain behind it.
We warmed up and went on with our next project....Yuuki loves to look out these windows!
Early Moose Warning System
Stacia and I planted seeds. We need more things to plant in. We also need more space to keep them warm and light....but we are already seeing sprouts.
We ended the night with Life Group. Our Life Group has been rather intimate. Us, Barney and Judie, Stacia, Bre and Josh when he makes it. We had met Barney and Judie at church and gotten to know them in the first Life Group we were in (meets at the church on Wed. Nights). Thursday works well for them and we have LOVED the opportunity to get to know this dear couple. They will be gone a month visiting kids outside....we will miss them.
Michael and I are not natives to the Land of Technology. We are fairly adept immigrants. Each time we need to learn something new, it takes TIME.....We've spent numerous hours figuring out our new Photoshop/Lightroom programs. It would help immigrants like us if there were a PRINTED manual, with an index. We've googled, watched YouTube, randomly clicked....and it takes time....
I just discovered presets today. ::snort:: Editing wasn't MY main reason for looking forward to new software, though it was Michael's. I was hoping to watermark and get better video editing capabilities.
What's with the watermark? Well, now...I probably shouldn't mention it in polite company, but we've begun to find our photos where we have not placed them. This doesn't OVERLY bother me except for two things...1. My kids/grands - if you want photos of a family on your site; take photos of your own family; 2. Michael may one day set up a shop, he's getting some great photos. Those are showing up on lots of sites as well. Finally, we have been contacted by a couple of bigger name opportunities...a television network and a few websites (which I've declined as I'm busy enough)....but, I'm thinking there are more seeing our photos and my silly stories than I imagined. It seems it would be good to have the photos watermarked. This way - it will be harder to pass off our photos as someone else's.
Ideally we'd put an email address on the photo....but the email addresses from the domain are not connecting with our gmail and so we get none of the mail, thus the life of an immigrant in the Land of Technology. I'm just putting the blog URL on it for now. I'm also trying to figure out how small to go so it doesn't distract from the photo, while being big enough that those who KNOW WHO THEY ARE, don't want the photo.
Oh, I know nothing online is ever private or safe. One can easily crop off a watermark - unless I plaster it across the middle - which isn't ascetically pleasing to me at all.
Here's the thing - I'm spending every free moment on the blog - but nothing is getting published. Eventually, I imagine it being as fast as it previously was for me to snap a photo, edit it and blog it.
I've also been taking more videos and would like to learn to make them nicer. I think LR can do this....the motivation for this is that Movie Maker is freezing on me...even when it works it will no longer link to our YouTube channel and so the MP4 files are way to large and you tube takes hours to upload and squawks at me and tells me to go shorten them.....and frankly.....
I've been asking women's groups "WHEN is the last time you learned something new and WHAT was it?" My answer had to do with chicks....but THIS is what I'm stretching my brain on currently......
This, and seedlings, and chicks, and fence building, and wondering about a tiny house..... now on to finish a blog post OR a video for the day. I dream of being back to my normal blogging routine....I put in an hour tops and publish something nightly....instead of a week of messing with the program and never figuring it out.
