Some Enchanted Evening

This week has been like riding the weather rollercoaster, temps ranging from 30 to the current 63°,gray and rainy, flurries and heavy enough frost to have to scrape the windshield in the morning. It's an unusually sunny and mild day here in Farmland for Oct. 31. I've even got the patio door open and the yard is getting it's last mow of the year.

So the creatures who'll be wandering the streets tonight will get a bit of a break; no coats to spoil their costumes, maybe? When I was a kid, there wasn't much worse than having to put a coat OVER my costume! Of course, the costume never fit over the coat. At least where I lived, we never had snow to contend with on Halloween. The Viking lived in northern MN and does remember trick-or-treating in the snow.

Aren't these kids cute, coats and all?

My age is showing, I suppose, but it seems to me that it's not nearly as much fun for kids today as it was to trick-or-treat in the '60's. We lived in a typical for the era large suburban development filled with young families. Halloween was an exciting night, kids got to roam the streets alone (we'd have been mortified to have a parent along.) and no one was concerned about kidnappings, poisoned or otherwise tampered with candy or truly destructive behavior. Even though there'd be hundreds of kids out, no one needed a kid radar tracking alarm tucked into their pocket.

The worst things I ever knew about, even as a teen, was TP-ing trees or if someone was really awful, egging a neighbors house. There were always some rougher, older kids who'd gang up later with a six pack, but that was really about it. Other than staying in a group with your own friends, no other cautions were needed.

We were true innocents then. We accepted all kinds of goodies into our huge double handled paper shopping bag size treat sacks. Apples. Popcorn balls. Loose candy. Bring it on. Anything was good, but for me --keep the Mary Janes please.

We lived dangerously.

We actually ATE CANDY IN THE DARK.

Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain to you all. I hope you find a playful spirit in your memory this enchanted evening.

Seafood Pie for the Viking

Today is the Viking's birthday. He wanted a special dinner at home. Me, I always opt for a special dinner OUT that no one has to cook or clean up after. But, at least on this day, his wish is my command.

The menu: Grilled rib eye steak, Shrimp and Scallop Pie New England Style and colorful veggies that may not actually be eaten. Let's cook!

Start by pounding the heck out of a sleeve of Ritz crackers. If you're really careful, you can do it and keep them in the sleeve. I hate clean-up, so I go for careful rather than full on aggression soothing attack on the cackers. I love, love, love my Pampered Chef weapon of mass destruction. I thought it was a little pricey when I ordered it, but no longer. It's very well balanced and heavy enough to pound anything into submission. You're going for medium size crumbs here. Set them aside when you're done.

Now you need about a dozen big scallops. Don't even think about those tiny little wanna be scallops. Since I live in rural Nebraska, all my seafood has to be defrosted first. I just let the frozen nuggets of goodness just sit in a strainer in the sink. Less clean up that way. You'll also need about a dozen raw shrimp. Get the biggest one's you can afford. I have been know to do this with even salad shrimp, but it's so much better with larger ones. Thaw them ( Nebraska, remember?) and remove any shells. Here's where I betray my New England roots and toss in a Baltimore twist.

Sprinkle about 2 Tablespoons of Old Bay Seasoning on the raw shrimp. Add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. Squeeze on the juice of half a lemon. Mix them all together and let the shrimp marinade in this spicy goodness for at least an hour.

I've lived in many places and my cooking has been influenced by them all. Sometimes, I get nutty and do this stage with Tabasco. Sometimes, it's just a blend of fresh herbs, but Old Bay is my go-to hands down favorite.
Set your oven to 350. Grease a couple of ramekins, or a pie plate. I have nice 8oz ramekins, but trust me, no one is going to care what you cook these beauties in! Just try to not have them layered too thickly in the vessel. Put the raw seafood in the baking dish. Add a couple healthy splashes of white wine or sherry. If you want to be really adventurous, you could add some crispy peppered bacon crumbles to the seafood. I wouldn't complain one little bit. ( Don't tell anyone north of Hartford, but I've done it and it was awesome!) Set the dishes aside for now.

Back to the crackers. You didn't think I'd forgotten them, did you? Never, ever. Humble Ritz crackers are really the key to this dish. In a large bowl, melt half a stick of butter. Butter. I repeat, Butter. I do it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Add all of the crushed crackers to the melted butter. Mix well. Use all the butter cracker crumb mix to top your seafood mixture.

Next, they go into the oven for about 25-30 minutes. Remove, let cool briefly and either serve in ramekins or family style. You won't believe how good this dish smells when it's ready to come out of the oven.

See, it's really simple. And flexible. This is my version of a traditional New England Lobster Pie. Of course, Lobster Pie is one of those dishes with many, many versions. And yes, it is a million times better with fresh Maine lobster but that's not available to me here. So I make do and I tinker with recipes. I think that's where the creativity in cooking comes in. And I cook by feel. I guess after 40 years of cooking you just do that.

Sometimes, when I want to fool around in the kitchen, I'll make a very light cream sauce, add the wine and pour it over the seafood. But, usually, I'm into quicker versions of my favorite things. Fortunately, this is one where you can have all the flavor without some of the fussier steps.

And by the way, the veggies did get eaten.

Now, don't you wish you'd been at my house for this birthday supper. Now I have to do the dishes. It's not MY birthday.

Ingredients for Scallop & Shrimp New England Style Pie:

Raw Scallops

Raw Shrimp

Old Bay Seasoning

Garlic Powder

White Wine/Sherry

1 sleeve Ritz crackers

Butter, real butter. This is not a diet day recipe.

1 Lemon - not the stupid little yellow plastic squeeze one please.

The Very Special Birthday Surprise

This my friends, is an extremely special birthday gift. This is the culmination of 5+ year search for a photo of this building. It's an enhanced print of the original Bill Library in Ledyard, Ct. In 1867, $1000 dollars was given to the Town of Ledyard by Mr. Henry Bill, to establish a free lending library. You can read about it here, thanks to Google's book project.

Always a voracious reader, landing my first "adult" job at The Bill Library, earning minimum wage of $1.60 an hour in 1971, was more than I'd ever dreamed of. Quite a change in status from babysitting for only .50 an hour! I read almost every book in the library.

The library had ghosts, leading to my lifelong interest in such matters. I learned alot about life from working in the library and it didn't all come from books. I also met The Viking in a very unusual circumstance in the library, a long time ago. There are many heartstrings tied to this modest Queen Anne building that sits across from the Congregational church, in what use to be the center of a tiny New England hamlet.

Because it was such an everyday part of our lives, no one took photographs. Developing was expensive in those days and in my family, at least, mundane daily things didn't rate the expense. Eventually, the town decided to expand the library. I had not seen it for many years and then one visit home, it had morphed into this.

My sister, Chia (crafter extraodinaire) also worked there as a teen. It was a big part of our lives. Off and on, we've both tried to find an old photo of the original building with no luck. Then one day, months ago she emailed me a black & white photo! The Holy Grail ( or one of them anyway) had been found!

She has a knack that way. Some day, I'll tell you about her amazing luck in reclaiming a photo album of 1800's era relatives that had quite a journey.

Not long ago, on her blog she describes how the black and white came to be this impressionistic print that is now mine. To most other people, it's just another building that has been modified to better meet the needs of our growing society. To me, it's a treasure chest glowing in the darkest corner of an attic, full of mystery and promise.

I am touched beyond words.

Birthday Surprises

The 15th anniversary of my 39th birthday was this past week, as The Viking, ever kind and gentle, pointed out to me. Because it was a midweek day, we didn't plan much, just dinner out. Mexican. Good Mexican, which is no small feat in the middle of Farmland. We're lucky to have a 3 star place here in town.

His gift for me didn't arrive on time but he is a great gifter so whenever it gets here I'm sure it's going to be just right.

He usually gives gifts first thing in the morning, so although the logical adult side of me knew it

was just a matter of time before it arrived, the birthday child inside was a little bummed out when I left for work with nothing fun having happened.

Then I got to work and the fun started.

It was an all day birthday party! Complete with a flaming birthday cake and a singing group of cake escorts. It's mildly embarrassing when they outline the cake in enough candles to torch the place and you know it's nowhere near enough.

Ok, so not really. It was fun.

At the end of the day, another surprise. The mail man had left a package pick-up slip in our tiny apartment mail box. Score! What's more fun than a totally unexpected birthday surprize?

Yeah, I couldn't think of anything either.

The Viking was kind enough to go pick it up while I luxuriated on the couch with a fresh pot of coffee Saturday morning. I think it occurred to him that we'll be celebrating the 22nd anniversary of his 39th birthday soon, and maybe doesn't want me to remind him!

Oh Look!

Bubble wrap from my sister! She is a crafter extraordinaire, so maybe in her mind this qualifies as art supplies.

Wait... what's this.... see, I told you she's one of those artsy ones. A simply sweet little birthday book. And I do mean little, it's only 2 1/2 inches wide!

Filled with flights of fancy and adorned with the most delightful fibers in my favorite colors, this alone would have been enough of a gift. It makes my soul sing. If you fall in love with this little gem too and want to make one, check out Chia's blog, she'll teach you.

Wait...there's something more in this box! And what a treasure it is. I'm not going to tell you what it is right now. It deserves a post of it's own. It's good. Really good. I'll tell you about it tomorrow.

Just like a birthday, anticipation is half the fun!

It was a dark and stormy night

Did you ever wonder where the phrase " It was a dark and stormy night" originated. Everytime I saw or heard of it, I did and then it floated right on through my butterfly brain....oh. alright. I'll stop.

Anyway, today I discovered this little gem explaining "It was a dark and stormy night " as well as the grand prize winning entry of The annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, otherwise known as the worst opening paragraph writing contest.

"Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin’ off Nantucket Sound from the nor’ east and the dogs are howlin’ for no earthly reason...."

for the rest, visit Ghostwoods.

I suggest leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for yourself.

Blueberry Skies

Because of this little event on my way home, I was able to drink in the biggest, bluest skies and clouds of the summer. Windows down, 78 degrees, moderate breeze; if you have to wait on construction, this is the way to do it.
You can't tell because I tool this from the car, but this is really,really tall corn that's closing in on harvest time.
Have you noticed how much I love my drive home? Isn't this a blueberry and cream sky if there ever was one? Today I wished for really wide lens. Note to self: remember this when it's icy, gray and below zero.

The Fourth of July in Farmland

Tradition exists in middle America, like this annual celebration in nearby, Fairbury,NE. Enjoy. Video by Keith Trimm, soundofffairbury.com.

Happy Birthday!

It's my favorite daughter's birthday today! That's safe to say because she is the only daugher, only child for that matter. So without hesitation, my favorite daughter! This was taken a looooooong time ago, when she turned 7. It was the year of She-ra, Princess of Power!

She-ra was a big hit that year. Everything in her life suddenly changed from Rainbow Bright to She-ra. Honestly, I think some of the independent, powerful qualaties of She-ra influenced her sense of her own empowerment. There were even fewer media role models for young girls in the 80's than there are today.

Even at 7, the girl knew who she was and where her line in the sand would be. She hated being the victim of the inevitable "girl-gang" cliques that even grade school girls form, so she was always trying to make friends with the outsider kids or stand up for the weaker ones. At seven, her sense of fair play was already deeply ingrained.

She was awkward in ballet class, fearless on her bike. She wrote her first book; the awakening of her lifelong passion; books and writing. She loved that her birthday was July 4, but hated being called a "little firecracker".

She was opinionated and obstinate. Loving, kind, generous and magical. As she is today.