The Ultimate Cook Book

Due to space constraints I decided to ruthlessly go through each book and magazine I've been dragging around with me and rip out only the recipes I want to try.

The zucchini cheese bake was a hit and will get its own page.

Then I got the bright idea to create a cookbook of only those that are tried and true.  Currently I have all my recipes on the computer, which is nice, but sometimes a girl just wants to thumb through and look for some ideas without having to open up each file.

So, the new cookbook (in a binder) consists of untried recipes in a plastic pocket sleeve and those that have been enjoyed getting their very own page protector.  The recipes need to audition to get into this book!

It's made me rediscover several old recipes as well as finding some of the untested ones and moving them to the top of the list.

The Coq au Vin was awful and has been deleted from the computer.  I think I'll stick to things I can pronounce.

The goal now is to try one new recipe at least once a week to see if it makes the cut into the binder.

Of course, this project was much more appealing since it's been raining off and on all day and there's not much to do, so I do what I do best...fixate on food.

Now if you'll excuse me...I think I need to go make a batch of cookies or something.

Long Live the Kitchen Queen

Rubbish Tuesday

This old windmill was so pretty with the blue sky we had that day.

I remember these from visiting my aunt and uncle's dairy farm back in yesteryear.

Long Live the Queen of Rubbish

A Tale of Two Nostrils

Image courtesy of Shayna Karnick

Remember those stories of children getting beans stuck up their noses?  How silly, right?  Well, I understand now how that can happen.

It's allergy season and Left Brain and I have both been sneezing and blowing our noses on a regular basis. Therefore, a box of tissues is usually close at hand.

However convenient they may be, I still find that after one blow I tuck the slightly used tissue aside for later use.  I don't think I am the only one who does this.  You know who you are. Don't judge me.

Anyway, I digress.  The tissue that is awaiting further opportunities goes into a little pocket on the passenger side door.  Not a bad plan.

Now, this is where it went hinky.  Left Brain and I like to chew some gum after we've had lunch out somewhere, so I also like to have some waste paper or tissue in this same little pocket for when we spit it out.  Neither of us can stand to have it in our mouths more than about 30 minutes.

Not thinking, I grabbed the tissue from the door pocket and positioned it for my second blowing of the nose.  Yup...you guessed it.  This was the tissue that had the old gum in it, which was now wedged up my left nostril.

I'm thinking a bean would have much easier to remove since it remains solid, unlike an old wad of chewing gum that is...shall we say....sticky.  Especially when it bonds with those little nose hairs that are way in the back.  Those hairs have a purpose, but I don't think securing chewing gum was one of them.

As I'm trying to extract the gum from the left nostril, it's stretching out.... as gum will do.  It must have looked pretty gross, because the lady's face in the car that pulled up next to us was priceless.  I wanted to lower the window and explain it wasn't snot, but rather an old piece of chewing gum, and then decided that really didn't seem to be a valid explanation.

Seeing her face made me laugh and sometimes when I laugh hard I snort (and pee my pants, but that's another story).  

Did you know you can blow a bubble through your nose? 

I'd never considered the logistics of this before, but please just take my word for it that it is possible.  There's really no need to attempt it yourself to prove or disclaim my statement.

Once we arrived home I went after it with a Q-Tip to remove the left over stuff and this sent me into a sneezing spasm.  Something about a foreign object stuck up your nose causes sneezing I guess.  Another side effect is laughter.

And when your husband looks worried (and slightly appalled) and starts shouting "It's NOT funny!", well that's when I laughed so hard my tears ran down my legs.

But finally I find myself this evening all cleaned up and gum free...and it seems to have helped my allergies.

Long Live the Queen of Sneeze

Yes, I realize the pretty photo of the flower had nothing to do with the story, but it was better than a photo of my plugged up nose.

Not much going on

It's been pretty quiet here, lots of wind and some rain...springtime in Wisconsin.

Tuesday was pickleball in Winona (2o miles north of here) and I had a craving for Indian food, so drove into La Crosse to visit A Taste of India for their buffet.  Very disappointing.  There wasn't much to chose from and the flavors just seemed off.

Wednesday I met a lady I've become friends with on Facebook.  It was a bit disconcerting since the night before on TV there was a show about a person meeting someone via social media that went very badly.  However, Resa tends to post lots of photos of colorful birds, houses and cats...so I didn't figure she was on the deep web.

We were to meet at a little coffee shop, but it was closed up...apparently for good.  We opted to visit a Perkins close by to dine and visit...two of my favorite pastimes in life.

Wednesday's weather allowed for outdoor pickleball and Left Brain joined me for a few games in Onalaska.  After playtime ended we went to the home of our friends, Colleen and Eric, for hamburgers on the grill.

Doing this necessitated driving by our former property and as much as I would have liked not to look at it, it was hard to avoid.  It's so sad to see all my lovely gardens looking so shabby and unkempt and lots of junk and vehicles sitting in front.

I managed to finally get my 10,000 step goal met on Thursday.  Actually logged 11,800 steps just playing pickleball in Winona.  Of course, I started at 8:30 and ended at noon, so there was a lot of time to get those in.

On Friday Left Brain and Larry took off for golfing and Gracie was so obnoxious I left the RV to go have a bagel at Panera just to get away from her.  She's a constant attention seeker and is relentless in her pursuits.  I'm thinking there's a little kitty ADHD or OCD or something like that. When ever you turn around...there she is.

She's checking out the hanging shelves I added to the closet.

She's actually yawning here....but looks like a mighty roar.

So, pretty boring here.  But I did want to share my friend Marti's blog site.  She just posted the photos from her visit to Antelope Canyon in Arizona.  They are stunning and need to be shared. 

Long Live the Queen of Boredom

Campground guest

I noticed the dirt and tunnel next to my bird bath, at the base of the bird feeder and wondered who it might be.

Then he popped his head up and said hi.

We have a guest on our campsite and he's so cute.

Apparently he's a smart gopher as he's situated himself near a source of water and food.

Best of all, he provides much entertainment for George and Gracie as they wait in attack mode for the perfect pounce.   
And they'd get him for sure if it wasn't for being in that mesh tunnel.

George waiting in the "pick up window" for us to carry him back inside for a snack, a drink, nap or whatever.

It's not quite the wildlife we've experienced at some places, but he's adorable and we enjoy watching him.

Long Live the Queen of Varmints