2017 Iron Range Luncheon

The day before my spring Porch Party -- I sent this email to my TMBC crew:

Thanks to my friends Mary Mulari and Nancy Harp -- this year, we have a special theme -- "Food From the Iron Range".

Our menu tomorrow will be:

Porketta (spicy, boneless, rolled pork roast, from the Italian mine workers)

Pasties (a savory hand pie the Cornish miners used to take to work with them)

Cardamon Bread
Lefse  (here's an interesting video)  (there might be a quiz -- watch the whole thing!)
Potica (a hand-rolled nut bread)

If you go to the links, you can read about some of the food we'll be eating.

AND -- last -- but not least --

SANDWICH LOAF. Although not unique to the Iron Range -- it's considered a "retro" menu item from the 1950's and 60's, when housewives used to get together for card parties or neighborhood luncheons. The crazy thing is that it is STILL POPULAR in the Iron Range part of the world. You can actually buy Sandwich Loaves from the local grocery stores...you can order them, or buy individual slices from the deli department.

I asked my local HyVee bakery to bake a pullman loaf, and NOT slice it.

It looked TERRIFIC...

YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE what I did with this loaf of bread!!

Grandma Camp Rehearsal

It was Mother's Day weekend -- and there was a lot going on. To start the day, the Princeton library was having a kids' crafting activity.

Dawn always has a gasket full of tricks for the kids to work with. Lilly made a beautiful card for her Mom, and also one for me...Warren played with the Tonka toys...

Later on, we ended up at the Figge Art Museum. It was their annual Beaux Arts Street Fair...

The kids' activity was all about spinning some paint on a piece of construction paper.

They watched the child in front of them.

That's the spinning wheel. The kids dribbled in different colored paint.

When she takes his hand, Warren would follow his sister to the end of the earth...

They were DELIGHTED with their finished projects.

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HEY -- I DID the MMWI...but I didn't get a chance to post it until Monday night.  Technically, I'm on VACATION...

Fiber Art on the Farm

Every year in May, the local Fiber Artist group plans a weekend OUT ON THE FARM!!

Diana empties out this big building

And cars loaded with fiber artists come from miles around!!

They do hands-on classes for FIVE DAYS.

An assortment of tables, chairs, odd lamps -- ITS A LOT OF WORK.

This was a fabric painting class

Something called ice-dying??

The results are spectacular.

This is the place where I learned how to paint my shoes...and purses...and clothes dryers....and dog crates. Yep. It is a very inspiring event!!

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MMWI:  I lost SIX POUNDS LAST WEEK.  Really.  I got on the scale this morning, and it said 237.  Holy Cow!!  THAT WAS SO EASY.  All I had to do was drive 1200 miles to visit John's family in Pennsylvania...and get on a different scale.

I wish I'd thought of this sooner...!!

Good Morning, Kathy!!

Today, we are driving to Pennsylvania. John will be golfing and I'll be spending some time with my friend Kathy...
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From a coupla years ago:

One of my oldest friends is Kathy Keefer. We met WAY BACK in 1973, when John and I moved from Washington, D.C. to Pennsylvania. We bought a cape cod house outside of Pine Grove. It had a small acreage, a beautiful little pond, and the best neighbors in the world -- Kathy and Denny Keefer.

This is a picture of Denny and Kathy -- on their porch. We spent countless hours on their porch...visiting, laughing, playing cards. THEY are the reason we have a porch on our house!

I remember -- 40 years ago -- when Denny remodeled this kitchen and hung these cabinets!!

Kathy deserved a great kitchen because she is the BEST COOK I KNOW -- and she is famous for her shoo-fly pies!!

About ten years ago -- Ross got a job in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It was a big move across the country, he didn't have very much money, and he didn't know anything about this new city. I suggested he stay with Kathy and Denny while he looked for a place. Their house would be a 45-minute drive to his job. He said, "Mom, I don't know them that well."

But, at the end of the day, he had no place to park his U-Haul, and Kathy insisted...so he agreed to "stay with them" for a few days while he tried to figure things out. Ross pulled into their driveway, Kathy and Denny welcomed him with open arms -- Ross started his new job, and on the second day, Denny and his boys unpacked Ross's U-Haul (when he was at work) -- and told him to take his time to finding an apartment...

For the next two years, KATHY KEEFER made Ross's birthday cake -- chocolate cake with peanut butter icing...

Ross loved, loved, loved the Keefers. Just like I knew he would.  He felt right at home there -- and he adored the Keefer boys. Kathy took great care of him. Just like I knew she would. During his time in Pennsylvania, he ate every holiday meal with them. Kathy's boys still say she "only really cooks when Ross is coming"

During his next six years in Minnesota, Ross often made Kathy's Shoo fly pie, and I always make Kathy Keefer's coleslaw...

Last week, I was shocked when "Kathy Keefer" made a comment on this blog. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I told Ross -- KATHY KEEFER IS ONLINE...As it turns out, she has a new I-Pad, and is learning how to use it. This blog is one of the first things she stumbled across...and this blog post will be a big surprise.

Welcome to the internet, Kathy!!  You are going to love the recipes that live here. Thanks for finding my blog.  AND THANKS for being a Mom to Ross when he didn't even know he needed one. Mostly -- THANKS FOR ALWAYS BEING A WONDERFUL FRIEND TO ME...you have NEVER let me down...

Outing Club Luncheon

Scott Community College always has a schedule of "Lunch and Learn" sessions going on. Several weeks ago, the topic was "U.S. Presidents, Past and Present." That sounded like something we would enjoy!

It was a beautiful spring day -- and Sandy and Linda P. met me at the gorgeous, old-school Outing Club.

The lunch was fantastic! Meatloaf (who makes that anymore!!) and sweet potato fries.

The Ballroom was set up with round tables. We sat with some other people.

Our presenter was young Professor Hilton -- who teaches history.

Of course, he couldn't cover all the Presidents in just an hour...so he focused on two of them. Andrew Jackson and Teddy Roosevelt.  His presentation style was lively and we all learned a lot we did not know.  The hour FLEW by.  It was interesting to learn that, in Andrew Jackson's time, duels were the way men of honor settled things.  Andrew Jackson was in many duels -- and the historians aren't even sure what the number is.  It's somewhere between 5 and 150. 

Professor Hilton with Gail Roder, who sets up these programs for the college.

After the event, we told Gail how much we enjoyed the program -- and suggested she bring back the handsome young professor every month -- he could do two presidents each time. WE WOULD CHEERFULLY ATTEND!!

Change of Seasons

The kids get out of school this week, which means it's official -- IT'S SUMMER!!

The older I get, the more I appreciate the change of seasons. I am grateful to have a life ordered by this seasonal rhythm. There is something I like about every season...and something I dislike.  That's the beauty, y'know?  This, way, I ALWAYS have something to forward to..

Iowa in the WINTER:  (hot chocolate, roasts cooked low and slow, with root vegetables, potatoes and carrots).

Cold temperatures and snow...Mother Nature shows us who's the boss.

We make the best of it! And one good snowman every year is something to be grateful for.

But you do have to make sacrifices...transportation can be difficult.

Some days, I must be plowed out of my driveway...

Iowa in SPRING:  (our first asparagus...delicious!)

By the time Easter gets here, we re EAGER to get outside, without snowboots and heavy winter coats. 

The grass is lush and green...the daffodils, tulips and hyacinths are popping up...

Spring brings new life...calves, lambs, kittens, puppies.

Iowa in SUMMER: (Nothing like that first BLT -- with tomatoes fresh picked from the garden)

Then, we roll into summer.PICNICS...

Playing with the hose in the side yard.

Trips to the park..shorts and tank tops.

The summer sun brings intense light...making the shade of a giant oak tree all the more appreciated.

The same scene -- minus the snow.  John is working on the driveway...filling those sink holes from the long winter and wet spring.

IOWA in FALL: (picking apples from the local orchard...)

Fall always means a road trip or two.

Our anniversary is in October, and we like to drive to Wisconsin.

Remember our trip to New Glarus?

47 years of Fall Road Trips!!

Oh, yeah...I pity those people in Hawaii or California. All that constant boring sunshine....the same thing, day after day...they just don't know what they're missing!!