Thank-You!

Once again, thank-you Ina for helping me!!!!

Stella slippin' and a sliddin'!

Poor Stella, she loves it here so much. She couldn't understand why she cant walk. The ground is so cold and frozen, she kept sliding all over the place. What she is determined to find is some grass to sniff so she can poop!

Chilly Friday on the Eastern Shore

This is our dock. The Bay is frozen all around except for our dock, my husband put "bubblers" on the pilings so it wouldn't freeze.

Heading to Maryland for the weeking

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and enjoys the Superbowl! Stella and I are going down to make sure the milk is out of the frig, and check on the mousetraps.

Do you use cold water to wash dishes?

Can Cold Water Clean Dishes?

This is for all the germ conscious folks that worry about using cold water to clean.

John went to visit his 90 year old grandfather in a very secluded, rural area of Georgia. After spending a great evening chatting the night away, John's grandfather prepared breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast. However, John noticed a film like substance on his plate, and questioned his grandfather asking, "Are these plates clean?" His grandfather replied, "They're as clean as cold water can get them. Just you go ahead and finish your meal, Sonny!"

For lunch the old man made hamburgers. Again, John was concerned about the plates as his appeared to have tiny specks around the edge that looked like dried egg and asked, "Are you sure these plates are clean?" Without looking up the old man said, "I told you before, Sonny, those dishes are as clean as cold water can get them. Now don't you fret, I don't want to hear another word about it!"

Later that afternoon, John was on his way to a nearby town and as he was leaving, hi s grandfather's dog started to growl, and wouldn't let him pass. John yelled and said, "Grandfather, your dog won't let me get to my car".

Without diverting his attention from the football game he was watching on TV, the old man shouted . "COLDWATER, GO LAY DOWN!!!!" Meet Coldwater..................... http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/1...ldwater8jx.jpg

Thank-you

I just want to thank my new friends here in blog land. I'm still very new at this, and still have a lot to learn. The pictures I have up are the ones from my computer. I haven't hooked my camera up yet, I have more pictures on that. That is another weekend lesson!

Ina and Preppy, thank-you for all of your support and kindness. I'm glad I found you.
Ina, I just love your pack, and it looks like we have a lot to share about our furry kids.

Preppy, yes, Amy is my daughter, and you have a beautiful family too. (hell--you all do!)
I love looking at all of you products on your website.

Kim, thanks for offering your help to get me going. I knew it was something I just had to figure out on my own. I love your work, it doesn't get any better than that!

Frau, thank-you for your kind words. I kind of figured it out that you were Preppy's sister. It is really a great way for you (and everyone) to stay connected. I long for summer too, and can't wait to get down to Maryland this summer!

Now, I have to get back to the things I'm suppose to be doing. I can see how this can really slow up the day. Have a great night!!!!

Has anyone seen the Pioneer Woman's blogspot?

The Pioneer Woman has a great site. She cooks great food, has a beautiful ranch, and lots of photography. It almost seems too perfect! The other day I was browsing around her site and found a story of how she met her husband, called, "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels". Well, little did I know it is turning out to be a regular novel! I can't stop reading it--it is so good. She is a great writer, and I would bet this will become a book. I have to write down where I stop reading, 'cause if I kept reading, I would be here all day! It is sooo romantic, and funny, and sad too. Check it out and let me know what you think.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/category/black_heelstractor_wheels/the_night_i_met_marlboro_man

This is What's For Dinner Tomorrow

Beef Stew With Shiitake Mushrooms And Baby Vegetables

Partner with a tossed salad and French bread.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Flour

6 tablespoons butter

3 pounds trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes

2 large onions

1/4 cup tomato paste

3 cups dry red wine

2- 14 1/2- ounce cans beef broth

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 1/2 pounds baby red-skinned potatoes, quartered

30 baby carrots

1 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps thickly sliced

2-3 tablespoons fresh Thyme

Preparation:

Place flour in baking pan or dish. Season with salt and pepper. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, coat meat with flour; add to pot and brown on all sides. Using slotted spoon, transfer to plate.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in same pot over medium-high heat. Add onions; saute until tender, about 6 minutes. Mix in tomato past, then wine. Bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add broth and sugar, then beef and any accumulated juices. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer 1 1/2 hours.

Add potatoes and carrots; simmer uncovered until meat and vegetables are almost tender, about 25 minutes. Add mushrooms and 2 tablespoons Thyme; simmer until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead.)

**I'm adding pearl onions, and some chopped celery to this.

Pasta from Food Network

O.K. this woman is really weird to me, and started to make me mad, but in the end, the recipe looked soooo good! What do you think?

http://www.foodnetwork.com/secrets-of-a-restaurant-chef/index.html

I think I got it

O.K. after 3 glasses of wine, and 4 hours later (not to mention neglecting my dog)----I think I know my away around a little better. I also have been watching Miss America, and they just announced the winner. Guess what???? I didn't even hear who the winner was 'cause I was so excited about learning how to post pictures. So who won??!!

Still Trying

There has got to be an easier way to get here. It took me 5 minutes, poking around to post this. Is there a "post" button, like there is a comment button? Boy---I can comment away, but when it comes to posting, I'm clearly missing something!