Bitter Cold Means Time for Furnace Work

I really don't know why it is, but with 12 months in the year, we always have furnace work done when there is snow on the ground. Today will see the start of an experiment. We are adding 8 feet of convector in the family room to try and get some more heat there. It's a miserable day outside for humans or animals. The wind is suppose to be gusting between 25 - 35mph and the temperature is a balmy 19 degrees. With the thermostat set at 70 degrees, the family room is only able to reach 67 degrees. I'm running the pellet stove while the work progresses since they will have to shut down the furnace, cut into the line and install the new convector. It's already brought the temperature up to a reasonable 72 degrees.

Stopped at Sander's Market in North East this morning. It is the former Jubilee Market. They make very good donuts at VERY wallet-friendly prices. With a quick flick of the wrist, an apple fritter and an old fashioned plain fry cake were headed to doom and destruction in Findley Lake. So much enjoyment for about $1 total.

Anyone who hasn't tried Sander's homemade sausages is missing a treat. I think they are the best store bought sausages you can buy locally and, when on sale at $1.99/pound, some of the cheapest. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

Here's a nice Venison recipe that I made up several years ago.

SPICY VENISON SAUSAGE PATTIES
1# ground venison
1# Sander's Jalapeno sausage

Squeeze Jalapeno sausage out of casing into large bowl. Add ground venison and mix thoroughly together. Form patties and fry in pan. Freeze unused cooked patties.

These can be used for supper or breakfast.

Some Questions Answered This Week

Referring back to some previous posts:

The pink house on Shadyside is being sided in a weathered slate vinyl siding. It looks great ! Trim is white. The garage door is still pink but it's interesting this way. Love the siding color and I find it so attractive that I may use it on our hunting camp.

Private skating rink on Shadyside is officially known as the "Woodland Shores" skating rink. For a great article about two Olympic skaters bringing world-class skating to Findley Lake, check out http://www.findleylakeinfo.org under the news button. Read the "Tapestry" cover to cover (both sides) on the internet there and keep up with local news.

Regarding our Findley Lake resident Bald Eagles, Dick Miga would like to receive written observations of your sightings. Please send the date and location to Dick Miga, 38 Elm St., Fredonia, NY 14063. I expect he would like to hear anecdotal information as to whether the lake is frozen over, adult or juvenile (judged by head and tail coloration), etc would probably be welcomed also.

So far, this winter has been relatively easy to take. Much of the snow has melted off and even now, the temperature is above freezing. We keep having big booms as the ice falls off our upper roof onto the lower one, then slides down it with a rumble before falling off. I almost hesitate to put the dog out tonight. Would hate to have him crushed by an errant roof-burg.

It's a shame that grass showing in Cleveland and Erie cuts down on the skiers at Peek 'n Peak. Some of the best skiing is when the temperatures are mild. Come on skiers, take advantage of the easy drive and come skiing in Findley Lake.

Bitter Cold and My Cold

Temperatures last night ran between +5 to +9 degrees. Glad I wasn't out in it. Found the fuzzy icicles and the rose tinted sky quite appealing when I put the dog out this morning. Check out the photos.

Fighting a cold for a week has been an up and down affair. Yesterday's lunch was a tried and true cold buster. Easy to make and surprisingly good. Think I'll go and make another batch today.

Medicinal Chicken Broth

14 oz can chicken broth (Swanson or College Inn are best)
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 TBSP Asian fish sauce (start with 1 tsp if you aren't used to it)
1/4 tsp. ground ginger or 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
sprinkle of red pepper
1 TBSP lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh or frozen chives or leeks

Optional - spaghetti noodles broken into 1 inch pieces.

Usually I double this so there is enough for two of us. Heat the broth, garlic, fish sauce, ginger, red pepper, lemon juice, and chives in a sauce pan until it boils. At this point, the broth is ready to serve. If adding the noodles, turn to simmer and add noodles. Simmer until noodles are tender, then serve.

I found that this soup is not only good for congestion, it also settles the stomach. The trick is to serve it in very small portions (a Chinese tea cup does nicely). Served hot in a small cup, it can be spooned or sipped slowly. After 20 minutes, serve another small cup. For congestion, serve in a normal soup bowl but provide plenty of tissues as it really helps clear the head and chest.

The recipe was adapted from a Thai or Vietnamese soup recipe that was printed in Sunset Magazine many years ago. The list of ingredients included lemongrass (not a staple in my house), and several other items not readily at hand. I paired it down to the basic flavors and congestion fighters, then found that it also worked with stomach upsets.

Bitter Cold Day

For those ex-pats who miss Findley Lake, today it's 11 degrees, blowing wind (15-25mph forecasted), and over 15 inches accumulated over the last two days. My husband plowed our parking area yesterday and is headed out to plow again today. Even when the snow isn't falling fast, the wind is blowing it off of the fields across the street and into our yard.

Check out the new photo, taken today, at the south end of the lake. It was 6 degrees there when the photo was snapped. Weather not fit for man or beast.

As usual, had a congenial breakfast at the Blue Heron Inn. Wide ranging discussions with other diners covered Sicilian Meat Balls with mint in them, the state of the economy, Raynaud's Disease, farm animals including a seven year old pig (pet), three kittens, fallow deer, and a dog named Shep.

For the first time this winter, we have run the pellet stove all night. No point in paying for natural gas when we've already paid for bags of pellets. I must say that it is a pleasure to be warm in our family room while the wind blows and the temperature drops to 10 degrees outside.

Jamestown Post-Journal Bloopers #1

The Post-Journal has a long history of headline misspellings that have kept us in hysterics or despair for years. Probably the best example would be a headline that convulsed us while out at breakfast over a year ago. In reporting that the Feds had located and filled in a tunnel under the Canadian border, the headline read "Feds Sh_t Down Tunnel". That's the cleaned up version. Have to admit we got a lot of laughs showing that around the restaurant. I even wrote the P-J an e-mail, which was never answered, giving examples of the problems and suggesting that they hire a retired English teacher to vet the headlines.

The latest entries into the Post-Journal headline wall of shame are:

Thursday, 1/10/08 "Clinton, Obama Dig In, Richardson Drops Out of GOP Race"
I could have sworn that Richardson was a Democrat.

Friday 1/11/08 "Distaster Planning Key For The Future"
Since the article was about government disaster preparation, I guess that there is no job for a chief distaster planner. However, as is often the case with these bloopers, no one can argue that the initial responses by local, state, and federal governments did leave a certain distaste in one's mouth, and a wish that things had moved faster and more effectively towards assisting those left stranded and homeless.

"Cool" Lake Photos

The lake was stunning on Sunday morning. Temperature was 34 degrees with a biting breeze. Drove downtown and was just blown away by the view of the lake. The East side of the lake had a sheen of ice while the West side was open water. The sun shone through high overcast. Living here year round you would think that we would get jaded by such things. Instead this required a quick trip back home for the camera.

Today (Monday) we are back to snow on the ground (not much by Findley Lake standards) and it's 26 degrees this evening. Ran the pellet stove all day. Venison chili and coleslaw for supper. TV is pretty much a waste land tonight so watching "Dance Wars" for the first time. I'd rather just watch Carrie Ann and Bruno dance together.

Seed Catalogs are Arriving

Today started off with a little sun light and the smell of Spring in the air. Already I've received a glossy "Jung Quality Seeds" and a large "R. H. Shumway's Illustrated Garden Guide". It's hard to hold yourself in check when you can almost see the grass starting to grow. Here in Findley Lake, the proverbial January Thaw is just a teaser before the End of January Blizzard that seems to last until March finally leaves like a lamb. Perhaps a little Global Warming would be a good thing. I grew up where the rule of thumb was to have your peas planted by St. Patrick's Day. Here, we'd be digging through 2' of snow to do that most years. At the top of my list for purchases this year are Egyptian Walking Onions, also called Multiplier Onions. Friends in Hop Bottom PA had a huge section of the garden dedicated to these. In the spring, pull up the young ones for scallions. The Missus in Hop Bottom considered anything under 2" across as a scallion. During the summer the tops of the plants would form clusters of bulblets that look a little like tiny shallots. You can pickle or use these bulblets to make creamed onions. Sprinkle them on the ground and start new onion sets. My foray into growing them here has been unsuccessful, mostly because of poor site location. Whatever I do, I'm going to buy enough of these to get a decent bed started. Once established, you have a perpetual supply of scallions and onions. I see that Jung's has my favorite Zucchini, Aristocrat Hybrid. Stan's Garden Center also carries it. Try Johnny's Selected Seeds for varieties proven to grow well in our short seasons. Also this year, I'm tempted to try growing mushrooms outdoors. As usual, the biggest decision to make is "What Kind?" to grow. So many varieties with so many different characteristics. Gardening is a good way to learn life lessons. Good choices, hard work, a little luck, and your pantry and freezer are filled with home grown food to nourish body and soul during the gray days of winter.

Alas, Poor Bike, We Knew You Well

Sometime between Tuesday and Wednesday, our beloved orphaned bike slipped between the waves and vanished. Speculation has it that the bike will arise again when the Weed harvester seeks it out in the Spring. We look forward eagerly to that day.

Bike Update

For those of you thinking of entering the betting pool on when the bike will sink beneath the waves, there is still time. After three days of increasingly warming temperatures, the bike remains above water. Current air temperature in Findley Lake is 55 degrees. Check out the new photos of the bike, especially the great reflection in the layer of water covering the ice. Yes, it's a gray day but that means a great day to drink coffee, make soup, and maybe venture out to take down the tree ladder stand at the back of our property. Lots to accomplish indoors too. Good news yesterday is that we made progress getting the pellet stove back into use. Did a major clean out of the exhaust which seems to have helped some. Construction/reconstruction continues around the lake at the various houses. Hope to see the new siding colors soon. They will be an odd but welcomed form of Spring flowers.

Curried Broccoli Cheddar Soup

My own invention, this is easy and filling. Quantity serves two adults for a filling supper or about four - 1 cup servings.

CURRIED BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP
2 TBSP butter or olive oil
2 cups broccoli florets, cleaned and cut into small pieces
1 - 14 oz can chicken broth
2 TBSP "Patak's" Madras Curry Paste - Hot (or 1 to 3 tsp. Curry Powder)
4 TBSP flour
2 cups milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (or more)
Additional milk or chicken broth as necessary

Melt butter over medium heat until melted (don't brown). Add broccoli florets and stir. Cook over medium heat until broccoli is bright green. Cook for another 2 minutes. Push broccoli to one side of pan and add 1/2 can of chicken broth. Add the Curry Paste or Powder to the chicken broth. Stir to dissolve, then stir back in the broccoli. Add the rest of the can of broth. While this heats, put the flour into the empty can and add one cup of milk to the can. Stir well to mix in flour. Add second cup of milk to pan and then slowly add the flour/milk mixture, stirring well. As mixture thickens, add additional milk as necessary to keep soup at desired thickness. Turn down heat. Slowly add grated cheddar cheese (I used Crowley's medium white Vermont cheese). As soon as cheese is mixed in, remove from heat.

If you aren't used to using curry powder, start with 1 teaspoon and then taste and add more as necessary. I use curry powder frequently to "brighten" cream soups, but not to overpower the flavors. Notice that I did not add any salt or pepper. The broth and cheese both contain salt so no additional salt was necessary. Pepper was ground on top of each bowl of soup. I put a garnish of fried onions on top but this isn't necessary. This soup stands on it's own.

Mystery of the Week

Check out the "Mystery Photo". Early this week, a bike appeared on Findley Lake at the boat ramp. When it first appeared, there was a cleared area of ice about 30' out from the ramp and the bike was another 15' or so further out. Since there was no obvious hole in the ice and since there were people out and about, it appeared to be a childish prank. Now, almost a week later, the bike remains. Who's bike is it? Will someone retrieve it? Is it frozen into the ice? It takes one back to the days (before my time) when they use to race cars on the lake. I think "Prairie Home Companion" had a recurring theme of bets being taken each winter as to the date that a sacrificial car, parked out on the ice, would descend into the depths, thereby declaring the official arrival of Spring. Anyone want to put bets on when the "bike-sicle" will disappear into the water? Winner will get the bike when it is hauled out of the water in the Spring.

Into The New Year Boldly

Had about a foot of snow on Wednesday and seemed to have accumulated more since then. So far this week we've celebrated New Years Eve with friends, visited with my Father in the nursing home in Erie, paid bills for my folks, picked up a furnace repair part and actually fixed the furnace ourselves. The zone valve motor for the first floor had worn out and wouldn't engage regularly. Nothing like waking up to a cold house to get one motivated. Next we need to fix the pellet stove. It's not a good time of year to have both heating units on the fritz. Finished up the venison hamburg soup tonight. Ummmm good ! Rode around the lake about noon. Found contractors working on two of the new houses that are being built. It's reassuring, given the state of the housing market and all the "Henny Penny" predictions that in one small community, we have at least three new houses being built. The weather has been cold (below 20 degrees much of the time) but we are to have a warming trend, possibly up to 40 degrees. Some adventurous weatherman has even suggested we'd see 50 degrees. I think that is overly optimistic but I can deal with it. Read an interesting post on the Internet. Leaving commentary aside, the writer suggested that each town the in the US host a refugee family. That would mean providing shelter, jobs, education as necessary, and other support systems until the family could be self supporting. Just looking at Mina, French Creek, Clymer and Sherman, that could be four families taken in. Every time I think about it, I hear in my mind the chorus version of the poem on the Statue of Liberty "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free". What a wonderful way to share our freedom.

Venison Soup

Sunday I made hamburg/vegetable soup using the ground venison (doe). My soups always end up thick, like stew (not thickened, just full of stuff and not a lot of liquid). My Mother used to make this with regular hamburger. I added the herbs and found that it made the soup more "continental", plus it smelled good. You could use basil (would probably be good with ground chicken too). I haven't tried it yet but I think it would be good made into a pot pie. You'd have to thicken the liquid a little. You could add Bisquick drop dumplings and then serve over the cooked dumplings. Maybe that's what I'll do with the leftovers from tonights supper.

If we are on low carb, I double the amount of ground meat and use the amount of veggies as listed. I like to serve it with some grated sharp cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and a splash of hot sauce over the sour cream. You don't have to drain off any grease because the venison is 90% lean and there isn't much oil used. I occasionally serve homemade garlic bread with this.
For more of a southwest flavor, subsitute two cans of Rotel tomatoes with chiles for the one can of tomatoes, and substitute 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, and 1/2 tsp dried oregano for the herbs. Substitute pinto beans for the kidney beans.

HAMBURG VEGETABLE SOUP

1# ground venison or any ground meat
1 TBSP olive oil
1 small onion chopped
1 - 1# bag frozen mixed vegetables (I prefer the ones with carrots, peas, lima, corn & greenbeans but didn't have it on hand).
1 - 12 oz or so frozen italian green beans or cut regular green beans
1 - 14 oz tomatoes (chopped, or whole squeezed into bits plus the liquid in the can)
1 - 14 oz water (use can)
1 - 14 oz can kidney beans (or your choice, navy, canaloni, and include the liquid, don't rinse)
2 - (optional) potatoes cut into small cubes
1 - tsp dried marjoram
1/2 - tsp dried thyme (powder or leaf)
salt and pepper to taste

Using pot big enough for soup, brown ground venison in tablespoon of olive oil. Crumble as you stir it. When half of venison has lost color, add the chopped onion. Continue to cook until the onion is transluscent (venison should completely lose raw color but do not over cook. Doesn't have to actually be brown and crispy, just cooked).

Dump in frozen mixed veggies, frozen green beans, tomatoes and additional can of water. Stir and maybe add a little more water (enough so that it almost, but not quite, covers the veggies). Cover and cook on medium, stirring every 5 minutes until the veggies have defrosted (about 10 minutes).

Dump in can of kidney beans plus bean liquid, optional potato cubes (we omit this mostly), marjoram and thyme.

Stir, cover, and cook until potatoes are done, about 15 minutes. Turn heat down as necessary and stir occasionally.

Salt and pepper to taste, cook for another 5 minutes and serve. Freezes well.