slow roasted

We have a new favorite way to cook meats:  

rotisserie cooker!

It's a brand called SHOWTIME

This cooker was a gift from our family, and we use it quite often.  It took a few attempts to figure out the best way to mount the piece of meat, but once it's firmly in place the cooking doesn't take long at all.  According to the chart, it's actually faster to roast in this oven than it is in my conventional oven.

We expected the rotisserie to take longer;  and there is a way to continue the rotation without the heat.  We can also leave the heat on and stop the rotation (to sear the meat).

So far, our favorite meat to roast is chicken.  The meat we can't get good results with is beef (doesn't cook to 'medium' only rare)  I think my next attempt will be ham - picnic shoulder!  We haven't found any cut of meat too large to fit in the roaster - but I'm sure such a thing does exsist.  I also haven't tried any fish yet but I feel like this would be a great way to roast a large fillet.

Cleaning this cooker is also much easier than I expected.  It's got a heavy coating of non-stick and most of the juices stay in the meat.  The interior has parts that are easy to remove and wash.

The aroma coming off this rotisserie is heavenly! 

wordless wednesday

Chigger Creek

The little brook that runs beside my house is infested with nasty chiggers!  I can't go near the creek or fence line without some serious protection in the form of powerful bug repellent.  The gentle 'family' spray-on just won't do.   I already have 8 or more bites and the season has just begun.

What the heck is a chigger?  There alot of old wives tales around chiggers:  they burrow under your skin, they lay eggs in the whelp, or that they can be suffocated by applying nail polish.  None of these is true.  Their bites may feel like a parasite has entered your skin (and caused painful itchy bites that are slow to heal) but it's a feeding tube that the chigger has left behind.

Chiggers are actually larvae of scrub mites, and once they've matured their source of nutrition comes from plants.   They are extremely small - only 1/50th of an inch - which may explain where some of the old wives tales come from. Chiggers are attracted to concealed, moist areas on the host - attaching to sock line, waistband, groin or armpits.  You can greatly reduce your chances of getting bites if you shower immediately after outdoor activity.   Chiggers won't remain or live on clothing or inside your house, but the sooner you can shower the better.

When my brother visited, I warned him about Chigger Creek and made sure we had lots of heavy duty bug spray.

 

One day, Mike walked his dog down the creek and decided not to spray.  When he returned to the porch, one look at his thighs sent him into a panic.  He was covered with thousands of chiggers!  His upper thighs were crawling with so many chiggys he freaked - a quick shower, and he washed his clothes, bath towel, bath mat and bedding.  He suffered several bites, but it could have been much worse

Mike even went to great lengths to 'Raid' his vehicle before he left - still having a creepy feeling about it. We took some time and looked up info online, but he continued to be creeped out.  He kinda cut his trip short, and I can't really blame him on that.  His dog seemed to love Chigger Creek and was her favorite place to go.

 

Sorry to tell you this, Mike but the chiggers  much worse this year.  Not to worry . . . because I have a ready supply of repellent.  It's just one of those things about living in the country that you have to deal with

CATurday standoff

Mimi and Bubba in a midnight stare down - first one flinches loses!

Bowl Yer Brainz Out

My husband, Jody has updated my bowling gear :

 new Cyclone ball with fingertip grips and a custom (2-ball) bag!

My new CYCLONE ball has a burst of orange flame color streaking thru it with subtle purples on the cover stock.  It was drilled for me with fingertip grippers that make for a nice, snug fit.  I bowled 2 games yesterday to try to get a feel for it - but I can see it's gonna take time to master.  My previous ball was drilled with a conventional grip that allows fingers to be inserted farther into the ball.

My new bag is customized with my name on both sides and a large "C" on top.  The wheels are modified for stability and the structure of the compartments is reinforced for duribility.  Special thanks to my good friend Glenn Harvey ("The Bag Man") for all the work  he did on my gear bag.

Be sure to read my article "MEET THE BAG MAN" to learn more about Glenn

and the hundreds of bags he's worked on over the years.

I'm infused with new enthusiam for the sport.  Sometimes working at the bowling alley can dampen your fun when it comes to playing the game - but I think this new gear will bring my game back to life!

recipe: KAVIN'S MAC

Kavin's Mac
preheat oven 350'

8 oz elbow macaroni
8 oz sour cream
8 oz small curd cottage cheese
16 oz grated cheddar cheese

boil macaroni for 9 minutes, drain
mix all ingredients well and bake in cassarole dish for 30 minutes

This is a favorite for my family - it's a nice alternative to the prepackaged mac N cheese

my Trail Name is Pokey

Since I'm not able to actually visit the Appalachian Trail right now, I decided a quick stop to their website might feed my cravings for natural surroundings.  I've been very fortunate to have hiked sections of the "AT" when I was in Girl Scouts.   Very pleased to see an article on their front page  about Girl Scouts on the trail - brings back so many wonderful memories.




We hiked, we sang, and we loved every minute of it.

The old trail songs we belched out at the top of our lungs are still fresh in my memory after 40 years.  I wonder if the girls from Troop 36 still remember these songs?  Well, I'm sure that my sister remembers them, because we've compared notes.  Every time we went hiking or camping with Girl Scouts we'd learn dozens of new songs.  I hope that tradition is still alive in the scouting experience.

I should tell my readers that I went thru a hat phase in my childhood, and would mostly wear my favorite 'badge' hat. It was a denim floppy hat with big panels that I had emblazoned with embroidery patches.  That hat was lost long ago.   I still indulge in hat-wearing as an adult - it's just not an every day event.

back row - 2nd from left

Maybe someday I'll be lucky enough to return to the "AT" and bellow out some tunes.  I'll even retain my old trail name "Pokey".  See you on the trail?

wordless wednesday

Wild Things: Rabbit

Rabbits can adapt to many environments and are known to inhabit open meadows, dense woods, forest, grasslands, desert and wetlands.  Long ears help the rabbit detect predators, and powerful hind legs help them evade capture.   Wild rabbits can have fur with mixed colors such as brown, gray and buff.  Their puffy tail might also fool a predator because the rear has so much movement.

As any rabbit can tell you, they are prey animals and constantly on alert!  Sometimes a rabbit might thump their hind feet on the ground when they perceive a threat.  Rabbits have a remarkable wide field of vision, making it very hard to sneak up on.

Did you know? that in one season a female rabbit can produce 800 children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.   Because the mother rabbits milk is so nutritious, they only have to nurse their young for a few minutes once or twice a day.  Rabbits usually live about 10 years but the oldest recorded rabbit lived for 18 years.

 Difference between rabbits and hares:  rabbits have young that are born blind and hairless, whereas hares are born with hair and sight.

Rabbits have worked their way into many folklore and tales, and they're a favorite subject of my woodburning.

woodburned gourd



painted rock



woodburned plaque

WILD THINGS is a series of articles from Edge of the Wildwood about small furry animals of the forest.  Next up is:  skunk!