Wild Rice Salad

When I stop to think about it, most of my friends are very good cooks.  We often exchange recipes, cooking tips, zucchini, etc.

My friend Marion loves to cook -- and she recently sent me a recipe for "Fruited Wild Rice Salad".  The fun thing is -- we BOTH BOUGHT wild rice when we were in Minnesota (visiting Mary).

High time I did something with that expensive little box of rice, eh?

Here's Marion, on our last road trip, we were at a Wisconsin Supper Club.

Fruited Wild Rice Salad: (this is a HUGE recipe -- it will feed 20 people)

Bring 5 3/4 cups of water and 10 0z of chicken broth to boil. Add 2 cups wild rice and 1 tbsp. of salt. Reduce heat to med. and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes.

Stir in 1 cup orzo during the last 5 minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup of water if orzo sticks to pan. Cool.

Stir in 2 cups dried cherries, 1 cup chopped green onions, 3/4 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, and 1/2 cup diced celery. Cool and cover and refrigerate for up to a day.

Whisk together 1/3 cup white wine vinegar, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 tbsp. sugar, 2 tsp. dijon mustard, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/3 cup olive oil. Drizzle over salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

Salad can be covered and refrigerated for up to a day, let it come to room temperature before serving.

Stir in 2 diced mangos or peaches, peeled and diced.

I made this salad on Sunday, July 2. Marion said it was better on the second day, so my plan was to go shopping on Monday, buy some mangos, and then serve it at our July 4th cookout. I cut the recipe in half (because we would only be a Party of 8)...I added the celery, and used both dried cherries and cranberries.  Also, I didn't have enough wild rice, so I used a bag of "wild rice mixed with long grain rice"...

Well -- IT TURNED OUT GREAT. It was so good, as a matter of fact...that the three of us -- me, John and Ross -- decided to sample it without the Mangos. Humm...pretty good...

By the morning of July 4th...the only thing left to serve was a bowl of chopped mangos.  The salad was all gone.

DELICIOUS!!
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MMWI: 237.4

History Day Bus Tour

Sometimes, I can't remember if I wrote about a thing. Or if I only intended to. And since I LIVE ALL OF THESE BLOG POSTS...there often isn't much of a line in my head.

I often write about the great programs I attend in this area -- most of them are put on by the community college.  This spring, I signed up for a "bus tour" that would visit locations in our area that were stops on the underground railroad during the Civil War.

If I didn't report it at the time -- I SHOULD HAVE...and, well, maybe I already did.... 

We started the day off at the Antoine LeClaire house.  A local historian (Karen Anderson) gave a brief lecture inside before we got on the bus.

Largely due to Karen's efforts in the 70's, this house has been saved from demolition.  And now serves a wonderful local history center in the community.

We got on this beautifully equipped tour bus for our all-day excursion.

Honestly -- these seats were very comfortable.  And the views out the windows were terrific!

At most of the stops, there wasn't actually anything to see or do.  But Karen would tell us about the people who lived in that house or on that farm in 1850...and what their role was in helping slaves to escape from the South...

My cousin, Linda, went with me.  We stopped for a boxed lunch at a Rest Stop on I-80.

You cannot do an Eastern Iowa history tour without visiting Herbert Hoover's Museum.

Although he didn't have anything to do with the Underground Railroad...he was a Quaker, and they were big players.

Karen was telling us about the Quakers who lived in and around West Branch, Iowa.

We went into the Quaker church...

It was a beautiful day to be touring Eastern Iowa. I learned a lot of things I had NO CLUE about...and it is sad that we lose so much. History, I mean. We have very little connection with those who came before us. What their lives were like, how hard things were. How much turmoil there was.

The world we live in can feel messed up and discouraging...and then, you spend a day looking at what it was like for YOUR ANCESTORS.  We visited places where people lived in constant fear, afraid of their next door neighbors.  The law of the land required you to turn in a runaway slave, and if you helped them escape, you could be arrested, jailed, and lose your own property and livelihood.

For me -- history provides a perspective.  After that day of following the underground railroad route in Iowa, I saw my own life through a different lens.

We've come a long way.  And I am grateful. 

Jon Dorenbus AGT

Lilly LOVES to watch America's Got Talent. Warren can hang in there for most of it, too...and he likes to pretend he understands what everybody is doing. So, it's often a show we watch together. As a family. Another 1950's concept, eh?

We all know how much I like to do the "old school" things...

A family watching a television show TOGETHER used to be a big part of life.   Remember Gunsmoke?  My parents sat down with us every Friday night to watch the latest episode...Bonanza, The Ed Sullivan Show...well, you get the idea.

That is NOT HAPPENING in today's world. Every child has their own I-pad, with shows dumbed down to their age level, always focused, via constant product placement and marketing, to sell them the latest gadget or game. They have their own I-tunes accounts so they can download those fun new games and apps...

But, alas, I digress...

We watch every episode of AGT together. And, of course, we root for our favorites. Uncle Ross ALWAYS cheers for the magic acts. Grandpa liked Jon Dorenbus because he played football for the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Last Spring, there was a charity event at the convention center, featuring Jon Dorenbus from America's Got Talent!! (He came in Third.) This was double exciting, because my great-nephew, Cale, was in a competition to be THE OPENING ACT..!!

Well, I could hardly wait to GO SEE THIS FABULOUS LIVE SHOW. I bought three tickets. I figured it would be me, Lilly and Grandpa.

Ramping up to the event, there was a Facebook competition to see who would be the opening act...

 

CALE WON!! Which meant, of course, Ronda (his Grandmother, my sister) would also be attending the event. We were so proud..!!

It's a very big stage -- with hundreds of seats.  The biggest audience Cale has ever played for...

He didn't even seem nervous. AND HE DID GREAT..!!

Then, they introduced the headliner.  JON DORENBUS..!!  His close-up magic was put on the big screen. IT IS AMAZING...

After the show, Jon came out to sign autographs and visit with people.  He acted like he had all the time in the world.. I asked my niece, Amy (Cale's Mom) to take a picture of me and him. This is pitiful...

And this one ain't much better. But you get the idea!! We actually had a nice chat.

Jon's magic is excellent, but his story is the compelling thing. When he was 12 years old, his father killed his mother. Before that happened, he was a regular kid living a middle-class life in a Seattle suburb...and then -- boom -- it all exploded. His father was convicted of the murder, and Jon was adopted by an Aunt and Uncle. He took refuge in magic, practicing for hours and hours...

During his show, Jon shares that story -- even showing news coverage of his mother's murder. And he talked about how he persevered in life...he is a man of average-to-small build, and a career in the NFL seemed unlikely.  He shares his adult perspective on how his mother's murder affected him...and he has forgiven his father, even though they have no contact and no relationship.  He delivers a very sincere message -- about forgiveness...and focus...and making the most of your life, no matter what...being the best person you can be...

It was a GREAT, GREAT NIGHT...

I am only sorry that neither my husband John nor Lilly was able to attend.  They were both sick at the time.  But Ross went with me...and when we got there, we ran into both my sisters Ronda and Deena.  So it was a great family outing!!

Grandma Camp Cooking Gadgets

When it comes to Grandma Camp Cooking, it's rarely about doing things from SCRATCH.

It's more about the DOING. Kids like using their little rolling pins...but we start with the refrigerated pie crust.

Warren loves to pinch off pieces of tube biscuit dough to make cinnamon sugar monkey bread.

Well -- you get the idea.  But sometimes, Grandma Camp cooking is about finding JUST THE RIGHT GADGET...

For example -- have you ever heard of HARD BOILED EGG MOLDS??

Me, neither.  But here's the deal.  You make your hard boiled eggs, and peel them...then, when they're still warm, stick them in this mold and refrigerate for several hours.

DO YOU BELIEVE IT??!!

This bunny face was the bomb!!

The kids were beyond thrilled!!

There was a teddy bear, and a heart shape!!

I cannot believe you didn't tell me about these, Pat Leslie!! YOU SURELY HAVE A COLLECTION OF HARD BOILED EGG MOLDS..!!

Both Lilly and Warren love eating hard boiled eggs -- so the molds were a big hit. It's nice to have something to cook that actually is a healthy snack. Hummm...maybe next week, we'll make some Kale Chips...

Grandma Camp Cooking

We live in a house where cooking actually happens. Granted -- it's nothing like the old days. When my boys were small, I cooked an actual meal every single day. John worked second shift, so we ate at 1:00. He laid down to take a short nap, then left for work at 2:30. The leftovers from that lunch were generally what I packed for him to take to work in his lunch-cooler.

I don't do THAT anymore.

Nowadays, putting a real meal together an on the table is a rare occurrence. Maybe once a week I'll roast a chicken or grill some pork chops.

John and I are often on very different eating schedules. He might eat lunch at the golf course, or I'll be in town with the girls. We sometimes go to a local joint for a hamburger. Some days, we're just not hungry at the same time...so we'll eat a bowl of cereal for supper. And we're both fine with that.

But when the kids are here, I always try to cook SOMETHING.  Lilly sets the table and we eat together, using our manners, and TALKING. The meal can be very basic...but they both LOVE helping me cook.

We put on our aprons -- even if we're just making instant jello (we did freeze it, so that's almost like cooking, right?)

On this day, we made jello pudding pops...

Sprinkles are a part of almost everything we make. Tube biscuit dough, for example...

We put the sprinkles into the cup, THEN the jello pudding before we put it in the freezer.

That experiment didn't turn out particularly well. But we soldier on...

Lilly at Critter Camp

Remember when you were a kid, and it seemed like summer went on forever?? Like most things, it remembers WAY BETTER than it lived, of course.

And -- like every generation, we lament the fact that today's children don't do any of the things WE DID when we were kids. There's no more playing pick-up baseball all afternoon with a group of neighborhood kids at the local ball diamond.

Nobody I know would dream of letting their kids walk six blocks to the local park to play basketball until it got dark at 9:00....and the days of leisurely walking through the woods to a pond and throwing in a line to go fishing...well, those days are long gone.

So -- that was then and this is now.

And the NOW pretty much means today's kids are in front of a SCREEN of some kind during their waking hours. You know how I feel about all that...Smartphones have made us stupid.  Parents take their children to worthwhile events at the local Art Museum, and then THEY (the parents) are playing with their damn phones. I see the young PARENTS doing this behavior in parks, at museums, the ballgame -- well, you name the place, and the 30-something people are ON THEIR DAMN PHONES...

Last week, when I told Warren (age 4) that we would be taking Grandpa's new car on our trip to Wisconsin, his first question was, "does Grandpa's new car have a screen in the back seat?"

'NOPE'' was not the answer the kid was hoping for...

But, the good news is that almost every institution, park, or organization that is trying to appeal to children -- has programs and events GEARED towards children. And they do their best to NOT HAVE ANY SCREENS.

In June, Lilly attended a Critter Camp at the local Clinton County Rock Creek Marina.  This is her second year for the camp -- and they do a SPECTACULAR JOB.

One of the activities is a ride on the Mississippi River in a big pontoon boat

Every child gets a turn DRIVING THE BOAT...

They have paddle boats, and kayaks...

If it's a rainy day, they have some indoor games...

Lilly's favorite day was when they got to pet the snakes.

We live in a far different world today. Which is both the good news and the bad news...but there's no changing it....and no going back. And, the truth is, it remembers better than it actually lived.

But if your kids are spending their summer, sitting inside the house, playing on their I-pad for hours on end...THAT'S ON YOU -- NOT THEM. Look around. Check out your town or county parks website...or your library...I guarantee the museum in your town has many worthwhile children's events, activities and games.

Mid-Continent Train Ride

I'm just about over it....the train ride, that is. If you have a child who loves trains...or the movie Polar Express...or maybe he has a Thomas Train fixation....YOU MUST TAKE THEM TO NORTH FREEDOM, WISCONSIN. The Mid Continent Railway Museum

I am not kidding.

This day in North Freedom, with these two little kids riding on a real train -- has to rank as one of the top five days of my life. (this from a woman who saw Hamilton in Chicago two weeks ago.)

I did have the presence of mind to remember my crummy little camera TAKES VIDEOS...and that's the only way you will get a feel for what this day was. OH MY GOD...



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MMWI: 239.4 YIPPEE KAYEE...It's been years since I've seen 230-anything.