My Secret to Perfect Fried Fish...

As it turned out, we were NOT the coldest place on the planet yesterday.  Altho we got down to 20 BELOW zero...Nancy Harp sent me a picture of the Aurora temp -- and it was a legit -37.  Ugh...

But, it was too cold to go outside of the house...so we hunkered down.  Cal and Jeanne came over for a late lunch.

Cal's favorite thing is fried fish. Lucky for us, Ronda's husband Dean is the Iowa-World-Champion-Fisherman (a title I just made up)...and he catches WAY more fish than one family can possibly eat. To make way in the freezer for his NEW BATCHES, Dean often gives us his PREVIOUS BATCHES...

Our menu was simple:

• Fried Fish
• Dad's Army Potatoes
• Kathy's Perfect Coleslaw

Each one of these dishes is SPECTACULAR...and each dish has it's own tips or techniques...or history. 

I'll start with the fried fish.  Of course, the first order of business is how the fish was cleaned, wrapped and frozen.  Dean (who is a retired health food inspector) is a world-class fish cleaner.  He can filet six catfish in the time it takes to turn the page in a book.  HE IS LIGHTENING FAST...and you will never find a bone or a bit of unwanted skin.  Then, he double wraps them -- first in a saran wrap film, then in freezer paper.

I thawed out several packages of filleted fish...then, the second most important thing is breading the fish.

I LOVE my Cajun Batter Bowl. This is one of the best kitchen specialty items I own. I cannot imagine making a big batch of fish without it. IT TAKES THE MESS OUT OF THIS JOB...and once you've used one of these -- you will never be able to go back.

Many people have secret ingredients in their fish breading mix. Me, too.  Here it is:

1 part Shake and Bake

1 part dried bread crumbs

1 part flour

Another old-fashioned product I'd like to give a nod to -- WAXED PAPER. I love, love, love wax paper.  For one thing, it takes me back to my childhood.  Mom packed lunches every night for six kids...and that meant a lot of sandwiches in neatly wrapped wax paper packages. I use it a lot...

At Christmas time, Lilly and Warren lined their cookie tins with waxed paper...and they cut circles to put on the top of each tin...

The last important tool for frying fish is, of course, the frying pan. This beautiful round Faberware electric frying pan is at least 50 years old...it's set up on my kitchen griddle all the time...and it keeps the PERFECT TEMPERATURE (375 degrees). They just don't make them like this any more.

Two minutes on each side...PERFECTION..!!

Drain on paper towels...OMG...sooo delicious...

HEY -- IT'S A FIRST!!

I pride myself on being that woman...the one who is always on the lookout for a new experience.

And TODAY is going to be a "first" for me.  Something is gonna happen to me that has never happened before...

It has been predicted that today -- Wednesday, January 30, 2019 -- the Quad Cities will be the COLDEST PLACE ON EARTH.

They say our temperature today will be 30 Degrees BELOW ZERO.

According to those same internet models -- it will be 14 degrees at the North Pole, and -10 at the South Pole.

Let me say it one more time...T.H.I.R.T.Y....D.E.G.R.E.E.S...B.E.L.O.W...Z.E.R.O....

So, we won't be going anywhere...

And that's fine with me.

TODAY IS THE DAY I'm going to get on my recently-cleared-off treadmill.  I REALLY MEAN IT THIS TIME.  And I invited Cal and Jeanne over for a late lunch.  Their house is just a few blocks away...and they will drive to my house on one of his snow movers...

Then, well -- it's time to SET UP ONE OF THOSE 1000 PIECE jigsaw PUZZLES...(which, hopefully, will keep me from making a pan of brownies…)

My Pacific Northwest friends tell me they LIKE the idea of being snowed in...but, after a day or two -- they'd want their rain back.  (Feel better, Laura...)

As I work on the puzzle...I will BE GRATEFUL that I get to live in a place that celebrates all four seasons.  (yes, that was sarcasm...)

Snow Plows

So -- it snowed. Again. Gheesh...this winter is never-ending. If it wasn't for my brother Calvin, we would not have been able to get out of our driveway for the last two weeks.

Lucky for me, Cal has 50+ years of experience running heavy equipment. He's one of those guys whose heated Pole building is bigger than his house. He has THREE tractors that can move snow...(he named them Small, Medium and Large). I lost count of how many times Cal has plowed us out this year. (and we have a VERY LONG lane).

The problem Sunday night was the WIND. Although we only had about 5 inches of snow over night...it was so cold (10 BELOW zero) and windy, we woke up Monday morning to 5' snow drifts across our lane...

I had pretty much resigned myself to BEING SNOWED IN. AGAIN. And I was bracing myself for a phone call from Carrie (my cleaning lady) telling me she wouldn't be able to get to my house...

You really can't imagine how surprised I was -- when -- at 9:00 AM -- Frankie started barking because he heard a tractor outside...!!

It was my brother, Cal -- on LARGE...and he was scooping out the snow drifts.

Although he makes it look EASY...it is certainly NOT easy...

We have a regular routine this year. When I hear him coming down the lane, I put on a pot of coffee...

The truth is, Cal and I have had more personal conversations this winter than we've had in the last 30 years....and I think we're both enjoying these visits.

In 2017, Cal had a heart surgery that went really, really wrong.  He was put into a coma, had a tracheotomy and a respirator -- and he was in intensive care for over 40 days.  During his recovery, he had a stroke...

So, when I hear that tractor coming down my lane...oh, yeah -- I am grateful.  For sooo many reasons.

New Year's Day Dinner

My 2019 New Year's Dinner was a little different this year. What was THE SAME...was the fresh pork roast, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. What was different was the guest list.

For one reason or another, I ended up with an all-men's-team...

Of course, the two boys who live here-- John and Frankie...

I was wearing my Mary Mulari/Criss-Cross/IKEA fabric apron.  MY NEW FAVORITE.. 

Ross had to go to work at 3:00...but we were eating at 12:30, so he was able to join us...(and he got here in time to mash the potatoes.)

Besides John and Ross, my special guests were: Jack Beuse (John's lifelong friend) -- and my brother Calvin (who's wife Jeanne was at a New Year's Day sisters Event.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun it was to have make this meal for FOUR GUYS. I don't know why -- but they were all so appreciative and happy. They wouldn't start eating until I SAT DOWN...lol...and they raved about the food!! They each took turns telling me how delicious everything was.

Because I had to cook two giant fresh pork roasts (they were froze together)...I packed up "to go" containers for everybody.  So, as they went out the door -- Ross, Jack and Cal all got enough leftover fresh pork roast & sauerkraut for a couple of meals.

It was a GREAT way to start 2019....and I am grateful that we started this excellent tradition 49 years ago....

As my friend Kathy recently told me -- I'm not surprised to be this old.  But I am shocked that it happened so quickly!

My To do List of Accomplishments

HOLY COW -- what was I thinking??  THIS LIST WAS A LOT OF WORK!

I am in charge of my own life --  It's snowing, we are not going anywhere...our lane is completely closed...and I could put ANYTHING ON MY TO DO LIST..!! 

For example --my list could have gone something like this:

Sleep until Noon.
Watch a Law and Order marathon on USA.
Do the easy 300-piece jigsaw puzzle I got for Christmas
Catch up on the Real Housewives of Atlanta
Take a nap.
Make a pan of fudge.
Eat a pan of fudge...
Repeat....

But -- nooooooo.  I actually made a To do list that involved WORK.  And COOKING.  CLEANING.  and DOING DISHES...

However -- making the list was a good idea.  I actually got a lot done...it felt like a "BONUS" day...

• Make a big pot of soup   (delish!  I decided on a cream of potato/ham/cabbage soup...and it was really pretty good.  We're still eating it...even after I sent a BIG JAR of it home with Cal
  

• Have a phone call with Rhonda Pierce  (It is always exciting to plan the next issue of Inspired To Sew magazine...see the link at the bottom of this post...*
  

• Finish Frankensewing Linda's tunic  (Done.)
  

• Have a catch-up phone call with Marion (SHE'S IN FLORIDA...I am green with envy.!)

• Make Lilly's paw jeans  (They are turning out spectacular -- and definitely worth an entire blog post.)

• Finish Warren's train shirt  (picture posted below.)* 
  

• Finish Stephen King's book, "The Outsider"  (A long book...but he is such a great writer...I never see the end coming....I'm still working on this.)
  

• Pack up cookbooks for a Goodwill drop (I delivered TWO GIANT bags of stuff-- AND a box of cookbooks)
  

• Pack up box for Nancy Harp (She should get it by Monday...in time for her next Spelling Bee)\
  

• Clear area around treadmill  (This is where I got the two giant bags for the Goodwill
  

• Walk one mile on treadmill   (One failed thing on a list this long is to be expected.  don't judge me....).
  

• Make Porketta Roast (Which was delicious!!  I sent a pan home with Emily)
  

• Send porketta home with Cal (Emily got the porketta...but, hey, Cal got some soup.)

*P.S.  I didn't get around to posting the link, or uploading the picture...so that will be on my NEW TO DO LIST...

It's Saturday -- Lilly and Warren are with me all day.  (they spend the night on Friday night).  They're sleeping in today -- and because IT IS TEN DEGREES BELOW ZERO...we won't be going anywhere.  I should have time to figure out how to do the link and some photos....and, with any luck -- that will be Monday's blog!!

Winter TMBC

So, then -- the TMBC had all these grandiose plans for our WIT (Winter Iowa Tour). So clever, right?  WE ARE IOWA WOMEN....and we are a hearty bunch.  We were out to PROVE we know how to enjoy ourselves, even in the dead of winter...

Oh....a little winter weather isn't going to stop us from having a good time.  We made plans...We are capable...determined...and excited....we can do this.  We were confident...
  
Right up until the moment Mother Nature called our bluff.

Sleet...cold temps...more snow...

The roads are so bad, the kids are getting out of school two hours early -- and the temperatures DROPPING TO A LEGITIMATE 15 degrees BELOW ZERO.

Okay...enough is enough!!  WE... CRY... U.N.C.L.E....

So, instead of the three TMBC members taking an exciting WIT day trip to Cedar Rapids -- where my young friend Anne had lined up many exciting activities...two of us ended up at our usual HyVee restaurant...

Sandy and I were the LAST TWO TMBC WOMEN STANDING...and on this particular day, we felt lucky to even be getting out of our house!!

I had to go back into my blog archives to find a picture of Sandy...

We had a lovely, ordinary breakfast -- with some very exciting Sew and Tells...and then, we finished our day off by GOING TO THE POOL..!!

Really -- it just doesn't get any better than this, people!!  That is, if you remember that most important rule....the ACTUAL  KEY TO HAPPINESS...…

lowered expectations....

Today, it's supposed to be a legitimate 10 degrees BELOW zero...and, YES, I PLAN TO GO TO THE POOL...

Tomorrow, I'm going to report on HOW MANY THINGS I GOT DONE from my to-do list..!!

SNOWED-IN TO DO LIST..!!

Wednesday, January 23, 2019...8:45 AM

It started snowing Tuesday  afternoon -- and,  as I'm sitting here, writing to you -- it snowed all night.  AND IT'S STILL SNOWING.   This fresh 10" of snow, on top of the 10" we already had...well, clearly -- I'm not going anywhere for a couple of days.

So, the bad news is that John and I are SNOWED IN...

And, I've decided that the good news is that we are SNOWED IN....

This is a very rare thing...there are millions of people in the world who will never experience an actual SNOW DAY.  It's like a get-out-of-jail-free card...only in REVERSE.  I want to make it memorable.  Special.  And, with that as a goal -- I decided to make an honest-to-God TO DO list...

My ambitious plans for my Snowed-In Wednesday:  

• Have a  phone call with Rhonda Pierce
• Make a big pot of soup
• Finish Frankensewing Linda's tunic
• Have a catch-up phone call with Marion
• Make Lilly's paw jeans
• Finish Warren's train shirt
• Finish Stephen King's book, "The Outsider"
• Pack up cookbooks for a Goodwill drop
• Pack up box for Nancy Harp (here's looking at you, babe!)
• Clear area around treadmill
• Walk one mile on treadmill
• Make Porketta Roast (thanks, Nancy Harp)
• Send porketta home with Cal  (he has been plowing out my lane all winter, it's the least I can do....)

Yeah, I know...it is a VERY AMBITIOUS  list....and -- who am I kidding?  The treadmill element is beyond optimistic.

But -- hey -- lofty goals are good, right?

I'll let you know tomorrow how it all went...

Random November Pictures

On the one hand, it feels like the S.E.W Retreat was just yesterday...but, then, on the other hand, it feels like it happened years ago...

The interesting thing is that, after living for one week WITH NO TECHNOLOGY...I realized there were elements of an internet-less life that I quite enjoyed. Specifically -- I haven't been on Facebook since the week before Thanksgiving...

Really.  It feels like somebody gave me the extraordinary gift of TWO MORE HOURS IN MY DAY...every single day....

Honestly -- IF I KNEW HOW TO RECOVER MY ACCOUNT, I'd probably close it down.  But, for right now, I just don't care enough to bother.  And I am QUITE enjoying all the extra time I have in my day now that I am Facebook-less....

But the remaining bad news about my technology meltdown is that I AM MISSING access to all the photos that lived on my old laptop.  The good news is that my Computer Guy (Russ -- who is a genius)  -- saved all my data, and he's putting the pics on an external hard drive.  But it feels like my dear next door neighbors have moved to the other side of town...and we just can't coffee together so easily....

I'm starting to rebuild my photo library.   More or less.  Here are some random pictures from November -- that I somehow, mysteriously, managed to get onto my new laptop...

Lilly and Warren, experimenting with how to eat soft-boiled eggs.  (Mary gave a demo)

I paid 44 cents for this GREAT corduroy peacoat.  But it was too small for Lilly...so, of course, I Frankensewed IT...

I cut the sleeves off a sweater...and used the OLD corduroy sleeves to insert two side panels...

Really.  You would hardly notice this alteration -- which made ALL THE DIFFERENCE...

Lilly loves ANYTHING WITH PAWS ON IT...

Warren was decorating a new pull-down roller shade for his room...

We always attend the Fall Auction/dinner/fundraiser

Lilly bid on a dozen different things -- but LUCKILY, SHE WAS OUTBID EVERY TIME..!

When Mary sent out the greetings from her Walkie-Talkie group in Aurora, they shared how it's a good strategy to plan your meals around the town fund-raisers.  (cuts way down on cooking).  AND I COULD NOT AGREE MORE.  Genius.  I'm going to pay more attention to what's happening in my little town.  Also, I love the "tradition" aspect of a small town.  Like, the Lutheran Church does their Fall Fund Raiser, and the Catholic Church has their Spring Bingo event.

All by themselves, they don't feel that important...but when you string them all together, year after year...those events weave a warm blanket of childhood memories, y'know??

P.S. even though Lilly's new jacket had a GREAT lime green lining, and those unique paw sleeves...it just didn't suit her. bummer. Not every Frankensew is a hit. BACK to the Goodwill, people!!  Somebody is gonna LOVE those new paw sleeves.

N.E.X.T...

THE PERFECT SLEDDING

1 Big snow + 2 kids + 35 degree temp + perfect hill + Aunt Jeanne = BEST DAY EVER..!!

Saturday night, when the kids and I went out into the snow, I realized Warren had NEVER BEEN SLEDDING. Are you kidding me? How is this even possible?

So, of course, that became my MISSION.

Fortunately,  by Sunday morning, the snow was done falling.  My brother Cal cleared my long driveway (he has lots of big equipment, tractors, plows and the like -- along with 60 years of experience).  When he came in for his coffee/cheesecake break, I asked if he thought I could get my car up his driveway -- to bring the kids sledding?

He said that in an hour or so -- that would be QUITE POSSIBLE...and they'd be looking for us.

I used most of that time shortening snowpants for the two of them...and actually FINDING a proper pair of snow boots (I knew I had them SOMEWHERE)...

The foam snow boards ($3 each at the Salvation Army) I brought home LAST SUMMER turned out to be the perfect snow vehicles...

Aunt Jeanne had a "Jet Sled" that was a great addition to our adventures...

Aunt Jeanne brought a snow shovel -- and she actually SHOVELED SNOW over the spots on the driveway that Cal had already cleared...

This is a PERFECT, steep hill for this activity. And once the kids get going...they slide across the drive, down into a second yard...no trees to hit...no other people around...THIS IS HEAVEN

Of course, there is the walk back up the hill...

But the temps were mild...and it was the PERFECT DAY.

Thanks to my brother's wife, Aunt Jeanne...

Jeanne took one wild ride down with Warren...HILARIOUS...

I went in the house to visit with Cal...and he had the door open, listening to the kids laughing and going down the hill in his front yard. I'm pretty sure Jeanne was having as much fun as Lilly and Warren...

After an hour or so -- the kids came into the house and we all had a snack of HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES Jeanne had made for this special occasion.

Neither Lilly nor Warren understood what was happening on that day...because, well, they're kids.  And they can't possibly know that a day like this only happens once-in-a-lifetime...

But I knew....

Midnight Snow Angels

Friday, it started to snow...and it kept on snowing...for hours and hours.  Because it rained first -- the roads are terrible.  And our DISH television went out. ugh.

No matter how much Grandma-game I think I've got...by Saturday night, my bag of tricks is just about empty...

At 9:00 PM, I took Frankie outside...and I had to shovel a spot near the house so he could "do his business" without standing in 10" of snow.

I realized this snow was the PERFECT CONSISTENCY TO MAKE SNOWBALLS.  Hey, I'm old.  I actually know what a rare thing this is...

Of course, I made a big, beautiful snowball and brought it into the house to show the kids...but they didn't seem too interested...until I broke it into smaller pieces and started to throw it at them...

They chased me all over the house...it was my very first indoor snowball fight...when I suggested we TAKE IT OUTSIDE...

It took us an hour to cobble together two outfits that would be snow-worthy. Warren had purple boots that used to belong to Lilly...and she had two DIFFERENT boots...(only one was a snowboot)…there may have been some duct tape involved...

By the time we finally got outside, it was 10 PM...and the air had changed, so you couldn't make a snowball. It was powdery and dry...

WOW...THE POWER OF MOTHER NATURE, EH??

They made snow angels...looking up into the dark night sky, with the snow gently falling...I gave them the two foam snow "boards" I picked up several months ago at a thrift store (just in case!)...and they went around to the other side of the house to our one pitiful little hill (we have outdoor lights on all four sides of our house)...

OMG...those kids HAD A BALL....

I knew my pictures were gonna suck...but I could not resist trying...

Maybe you just had to be there...

Snowed In Weekend

Elliott and Emily had a little trip out of town, and the kids ended up here for two nights in a row...and three days (not that I'm counting).

Oh -- did I mention -- we had an all-day snow event, so our DISH television was OUT..?/!!

And, as you know, I don't allow I-pad activities at Grandma's house...so WHATEVER DID WE DO FOR ALL THAT TIME?

Thanks to Uncle Ross -- there was the NEW GIGANTIC LEGO TABLE..!!

And there were countless games of CRANIUM...which, reminded me that we needed some new PlayDough...so we made my FAVORITE, OLD RELIABLE SALT DOUGH...which turned out amazing...Lilly was very impressed.  I didn't realize the kids had never made their own Playdough.

That activity led us into the kitchen -- where we decided to do SOME COOKING.  Warren made a batch of chocolate chip cookies (from a box that expired in 2014)...they turned out pretty tasty.

But the BIG GET of the weekend was Lilly's very first from-scratch-New York-Cheesecake..!!

We had the simple ingredients...graham crackers, cream cheese, eggs...she did every single step on her own.

She looked up the recipe, then got the ingredients together, and even managed to find my NEVER-USED-SPRINGFORM-PAN..!!  This was so special, we decided to use Aunt Rozella's Sterling silver Pie Server!!

My brother Cal came down to plow out our long lane -- so he earned the VERY FIRST PIECE..!!

I told Lilly that everybody should have a "signature dish". And since she LOVES cheesecake -- this could be hers. Who doesn't enjoy a delicious piece of cheesecake? And it was easier than she thought it would be...Who knows? I wanted to get a picture of her with THIS particular cheesecake...the one she made the year she was 9...because there's a good chance it could become Lilly's signature dish...and she might be making it when she's 70...(God knows I'm giving her that springform pan!)

That was all a lot of fun...but, BY FAR MY BEST GRANDMA SNOWED-IN-WEEKEND ACTIVITY WAS....

BEST BREAD EVER..!!

It's winter. That means it's time to MAKE SOME SOUP...and, if I'm lucky, John will be in the mood to MAKE SOME BREAD to go with it!!

Thanks to Mark Bittman, the New York Times, and Jim from Sullivan's Bakery in NEW YORK CITY...I don't think there is a human on the planet that hasn't learned this simple, no-knead method of bread making...

But -- just in case -- here it goes...

John mixes 3 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp. of yeast...covers the bowl, and lets it sit overnight.

The next day, turn the bread out on a board, fold it several times, and let it rest -- while you heats your oven AND the Dutch Oven pot to a screaming hot 500 degrees...(after I saw this picture, I had to clean my damn oven...ugh...)

Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on...and 15-25 more with the lid OFF (to brown the loaf)

And IT WILL BE PERFECTION every single time...!!

Honestly.  Could there be anything more delicious?  OR MORE SIMPLE??

make sure you have lots of REAL butter...

John tried for 20 years to bake the PERFECT LOAF of Italian bread...and then, ten years ago, he found this video. Which was life-changing!! THE SEARCH WAS OVER. This bread is amazing...and it is, honestly JUST AS EASY as Jim says it is. Trust me...