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Momentary Thought
I didn't even realize until I looked last year's entry for this sidebar, that we've been in our newly remodelled house for one year exactly.
High/Low
High: Had a really good weekend, and played hookey yesterday. Looks like Viv and I were on the same wavelength!
Low: It looks like I'll have to pick up a second job if we want to have a comfy Christmas and get our asses out of debt.
Current Obsession
Still doing the Finances song and dance.
Grin Source
Hah! I know what Dawn's secret is! And I ain't tellin'. Bribes enthusiastically accepted.
Singing
It's the same old story,
same old song and dance, my friend.
Aerosmith
A Year Ago
More or less
Holy crap. We've been in our house for a year.
Storyteller
Bio
Dramatis Personnae
Who I Read
Recipes
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Calvin and I played hookey from work yesterday. We actually made up our minds to do it about halfway through Sunday. We'd gone to bed at about 2:00 Saturday night (Sunday morning), and got up at 6:00 on Sunday in order to drive up north with AB and her fiance (I'll have to come up with a nom-de-net for him). So, really, it's more accurate to say that *I* made up my mind to stay home on Monday as soon as I got up on Sunday morning.
Marie declined the offer to go with us, wishing instead to hang with her friends and go to the new mall that opened about a half mile away from us (you can see where most of *her* time is going to be spent from now on). AB and M (there, for now) arrived with AB's daughter and Sadie the Rottie (I doubt she'll mind if I use her "real" name) at 7:00, and we followed each other up to Flagstaff, about two hours north of our house, in the "high country". True, it reminds me a lot of Maine, with tall pine trees overhanging the roads. The 65 degree weather wasn't breaking my heart, either. We grabbed a quick bite at Burger King, then hit a couple of camping gear and ski gear stores that were having sales.
From Flagstaff we headed south to Sedona, and Oak Creek Canyon. The drive boasts scenery that I have yet to see topped. The road twists and turns under leafy trees turning their fall gold, interspersed with the deep green of the pines. It follows along Oak Creek, and the truly spectacular architecture of the lucky (wealthy!) few who are fortunate enough to have homes right along the Creek (really, a small river or big stream - it runs year 'round, at any rate). The mountains glow redly with some kind of mineral (I think it's the same stuff that makes the roads red in PEI) - the famous "Red Rocks" of Sedona. We stopped at a lookout point to do the required "oohing" and "ahhing" over the view, and watch some intrepid rock climbers traversing the walls of the valley by their fingernails. 
Then we made a stop at the Rainbow Trout Farm. It boasts two ponds stocked with farmed rainbow trout (yeah, hence the name). Folks can fish to their heart's content, with the only rule being that there is no releasing what you've caught, and you have to purchase your catch. No fishing license is required, and it's a great place to take kids who would normally be frustrated with the "normal" way of fishing - standing around all day with one or two nibbles but no bites. They supply the "poles" (bamboo rods with fishing line and a cork tied to it) and the bait. People were hauling fish out of the ponds as soon as they could bait their hooks.
We were no exception. AB's daughter caught the first one, then Calvin caught one, then AB's daughter again, then Mike, then AB, then me, then Calvin again. In about a half hour we had seven fish between us. Big ol' boys they were, too.We brought our fish up to the attendant to be cleaned - they do it for fifty cents a fish, which is WELL worth it, in my opinion. Oh, but this guy doesn't just clean the fish. Oh, no. He makes a spectacle out of the event. At first when we handed over our bucket with three trout, we figured he was a nice enough, if odd guy. I mean, he spends his day, every day, seven days a week, with fish. I'd be a little short on the people skills, too. But this guy, he was truly unique.
If, by "unique", you mean "gross".
First he grabbed up the fish. Grasped it by it's middle, and gave it a couple of firm THWACKS with a mallet over the head. Then he split the fish from just at the base of the head all the way down to the tail. He shows the audience the guts still intact. Then...Then...
He removes the heart, and casts the rest of the guts into a waiting bucket. He puts the heart on the stainless steel splashguard. He grins, looking at the members of the audience significantly. The audience doesn't grasp what he's trying to call our attention to, until we look at the little lump of a fish heart closely.
It's still beating.
It's still beating, folks. And this guy, this guy is loving it. It fills his maniacal little soul with glee. The little heart shudders and pulses on the counter. He picks it up, and holds it between his thumb and forefinger. As it's still throbbing away...
...he puts it in his mouth. I kid you not. He sticks his tongue out to show the audience this little bit of fish flesh wiggling away. And then... and then......he swallows it. Whole. Still warm. Still beating. As the audience shrieks (and I mean SHRIEKS) he grins away like this is the highlight of his day. And it probably is.
Dude, there were seven fish in our party, and he did that to them *all*. Plus the folks that came before us. And the folks that came after us.
All Calvin could say is "We're *so* bringing Marie back here next weekend".
And the entire spectacle, from catching to gutting to horror house show, cost us $23.00. An economical, if nauseating, weekend activity. That's a pretty good price for three large trout, right?
Gah.
AB and company brought their catch over to our house, and we grilled 'em up mere hours after they were swimming happily in their ponds. Man, that was some goooood fish. Plus the beef stew that I'd put in the crock pot before we left, that had been simmering away for a good twelve hours. Between Calvin, Marie and I, we only finished about one and a half fish.So of course, the next day I made fish chowder out of the rest. And let me tell you something, if anyone doubts my cooking abilities, I defy you to say that after sampling some of that Fresh Trout Chowder.
(more pictures after the recipes!)
Laura's Soon-To-Be-World-Famous Fish Chowder
1/2 lb bacon1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups water
3 cups of peeled, diced raw potatoes
2 cups of cooked trout, de-boned and cut into one inch pieces
4 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter or margerine
salt and pepper
Fry the bacon in a large soup pot (I actually hold the slices of raw bacon together and cut them up before frying, so I don't have to crumble it later) until very brown and crumbly. Remove the bacon and drain the majority of the fat, but not all of it, from the pot. Sautee the onion and garlic in the bacon drippings until the onion is transparent. Mix the flour into the onion and garlic, stir until well coated. Pour the water into the pot with the onion mixture, and add the potatoes. Simmer the potatoes until tender. Crumble the bacon (if you haven't already), return the bacon to the pot, and add the trout, milk, margerine, salt and pepper. Heat until very hot, but not boiling (boiling milk is bad), stirring occasionally.
Eat for the next three days. It's actually better eating after the first day.
I also threw together a really quick and simple recipe for:
Laura's Soon-To-Be-World-Famous Apple German Chocolate Cake
1 package German Chocolate Cake mix1 20-oz can apple pie filling
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp water
Place apple pie filling in blender and process until the apples are in 1/4 inch pieces (or smooth, which is the way I like it). In a large bowl, blend cake mix, eggs, and apple pie filling (about five minutes - it should be rather fluffy). Place batter in a greased 13x9x2in pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips and walnuts over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick pushed in the center comes clean. Remove and allow to cool completely before icing.
(Icing is optional) Combine confectioners sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and water in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add more or less liquid or sugar to make a thick-runny glaze (about the consistency of thin honey). Drizzle glaze over cooled cake by spoonfuls. Glaze will semi-harden in about 10 minutes.
