This blog will periodically post bits from the book by M.J.K. Fisher, "How to Cook a Wolf" published in 1942 a time period of great stress and danger.
The table of contents indicates that this will be a book of lightheartedness.
1. How to Be Sage Without Hemlock
2. How to Catch the Wolf
3. How to Distribute Your Virtue
4. How to Boil Water
5. How to Greet the Spring
And there are more, but let's start with these.
A recipe from the chapter How to Boil Water is
GREEN GARDEN SOUP
2 Tbls butter or good oil
1 bunch watercress
1/2 head lettuce
3 small onions and tops
2 or 3 cabbage leaves
4 celery stalk tops
1 sprig thyme or marjoram
1 handful parsley
2 cans (4 cups) chicken or beef broth
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup thick cream
Seasoning
Grind or chop the vegetables (clean, or course)
Heat them gently for about 10 minutes with oil, then add broth.
Cover and simmer slowly until very tender, about 45 minutes.
Beat egg yolk and cream together and add after the soup is in the bowl
Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper
Most of these ingredients can be found at your local Farmers' Market so distance yourself, but support them and enjoy fresh home cooked soup.
Another blog will tell you how to make vodka
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Saturday, February 1, 2020
Fog and Rain Means Cooking
Potatoes boiling to make German potato salad
Bought some beets at the Farmer's Market this am to make beet soup
Also stopped at Dollar General to buy "fake" Girl Scout cookies - they come out with the same type during Girl Scout cookie sale time. Luckily they don't have them all year.
So here is a recipe (not the famous Iron Mountain Inn chocolate chip cookie recipe, however) that I often make on foggy days - or getting ready for a Super Bowl Party!
HOT CHEESE DIP
1 lb sharp chedder cheese grated
2 jars jalapeno peppers without seeds
1 medium onion chopped fine
1 large can whole tomatoes mashed up
In about 2 tbls olive oil saute the onions and peppers
Add the mashed up tomatoes (can do it in a blender or with a fork)
Simmer until it makes a thick paste (about 20 minutes or more) Stir
Add the cheese
Serve in a chafing dish with Dorito's of course
Be sure to keep it warm
This recipe also freezes well
You probably should double the recipe as it goes very fast!
Wish I could post a picture, but I haven't made it yet
Between the early morning finals of the Australian Open Men's Tennis Finals and the Super Bowl later in the day, I think there will be a lot of shouting and screaming around the world tomorrow. Glad I'm not in Miami or Melbourne!
Bought some beets at the Farmer's Market this am to make beet soup
Also stopped at Dollar General to buy "fake" Girl Scout cookies - they come out with the same type during Girl Scout cookie sale time. Luckily they don't have them all year.
So here is a recipe (not the famous Iron Mountain Inn chocolate chip cookie recipe, however) that I often make on foggy days - or getting ready for a Super Bowl Party!
HOT CHEESE DIP
1 lb sharp chedder cheese grated
2 jars jalapeno peppers without seeds
1 medium onion chopped fine
1 large can whole tomatoes mashed up
In about 2 tbls olive oil saute the onions and peppers
Add the mashed up tomatoes (can do it in a blender or with a fork)
Simmer until it makes a thick paste (about 20 minutes or more) Stir
Add the cheese
Serve in a chafing dish with Dorito's of course
Be sure to keep it warm
This recipe also freezes well
You probably should double the recipe as it goes very fast!
Wish I could post a picture, but I haven't made it yet
Between the early morning finals of the Australian Open Men's Tennis Finals and the Super Bowl later in the day, I think there will be a lot of shouting and screaming around the world tomorrow. Glad I'm not in Miami or Melbourne!
Friday, January 3, 2020
Grandmother and Me
I've lived from no tv to listening to the Vienna State Orchestra on a little cell phone that doesn't weigh more than a pound...amazing!
Sometimes I just have to stop and shake my head at the changes in the world today. The changes in morals, women's rights, technology, and the "oneness" of the world since my grandmother's time makes me shake my head. My grandmother went from horse and buggy to man on the moon and when I asked her what she thought was the most important change in her life she replied, after a few minutes of thought, "Ladies no longer wear hats".
First of all, she referred to women as ladies. I haven't heard anyone call women "ladies" recently. Second, not only do ladies no longer wear hats, neither do men unless you count the ball caps which some men wear everywhere. (I'm old fashioned enough to not approve of ball caps or terry caps at the dining table.)
But ladies no longer wearing hats represents a sea change in attitudes women have of themselves and those society has of them. Women today are as free to do as they wish as men....almost. The pill freed women from unwanted pregnancy so if they wanted multiple partners, that was a new choice. Men always had that choice. Pants allowed women to work in factories, to be active without having to worry about showing "too much skin". Of course, my grandmother couldn't understand how a woman could ride a horse astride as there was nothing to hold on to like the horn of a ladies' saddle under the flowing riding skirt.
My grandmother was a woman before her time and I was lucky to have her as part of my life for over 42 years. She was an avid bridge player with many Life Master points, a fierce backgammon player who seemed to be able to "call" the number she needed at appropriate times (her great-grandson has the same ability), a wicked sense of humor and most of all a love of life and curiosity about everything! She loved "the young" and listening to men talk as she was surrounded by women most of the time. She told me one time she wished she could have worked for a company like IBM so she could work all over the world.
She was a commanding presence whenever she walked into a room and as a child, "the look" was enough to make me behave, or stop whatever I was not supposed to be doing. But she also loved to have me climb into her bed in the mornings and she would tell me stories of her life in the early 20th century. She had a driver's license - number 3 in Washington, DC she always said.
When my father was courting my mother and he came to dinner, as the guest of honor he was placed at my grandmother's left, but as the food was passed to him last he often didn't get to eat much he said. My grandmother liked her food hot, so instead of waiting until everyone was served, she would begin eating and she was a fast eater. That meant, when she was finished she would call for the table to be cleared leaving my father hungry. But after a few times, he learned to eat very quickly and keep my grandmother in conversation so she couldn't finish so fast.
She loved to give parties and I was always welcome to bring my friends over to her house any time. When the University of Colorado football team went to the Orange Bowl in Miami, I invited my friends to stop in at my grandmother's house for a shower and a rest. One morning, there were about 15 people asleep around the edge of the pool when my grandmother came out to take her morning swim - au natural. I happened to glance out my bedroom to see her peering at the faces of the sleeping friends trying to decide if they were asleep enough for her to have her swim. She decided not to that morning.
Since the pool was very private we all swim as nature made us, but one afternoon when I was enjoying my swim, my grandmother came in with some of her bridge friends. I called out to her to wait a minute while I got out of the pool and into the bedroom. But she she brought her friends out and insisted it would impolite if I didn't say hello and shake their hands. I was at the far end of the pool but she and her friends were having a grand time. Finally they went back into the house to start a bridge game and I was able to sneak out of the pool.
Of course, on her 90th birthday, after an elegant delicious dinner with a group of friends who had come down in a bus from Indiana for the celebration the group ended up back at the house. Grandma went into her room and everyone was saying she must be tired after her busy day, that is, until she came back out naked but wrapped in a beach towel! "It's my birthday so I'm going swimming in my birthday suit. Come join me". And the entire party did! By the light of the moon, 65+ year olds all shed their clothes and jumped into the pool. A memorable night and hope I have that spirit and a place to swim on my 90th.
Sometimes I just have to stop and shake my head at the changes in the world today. The changes in morals, women's rights, technology, and the "oneness" of the world since my grandmother's time makes me shake my head. My grandmother went from horse and buggy to man on the moon and when I asked her what she thought was the most important change in her life she replied, after a few minutes of thought, "Ladies no longer wear hats".
First of all, she referred to women as ladies. I haven't heard anyone call women "ladies" recently. Second, not only do ladies no longer wear hats, neither do men unless you count the ball caps which some men wear everywhere. (I'm old fashioned enough to not approve of ball caps or terry caps at the dining table.)
But ladies no longer wearing hats represents a sea change in attitudes women have of themselves and those society has of them. Women today are as free to do as they wish as men....almost. The pill freed women from unwanted pregnancy so if they wanted multiple partners, that was a new choice. Men always had that choice. Pants allowed women to work in factories, to be active without having to worry about showing "too much skin". Of course, my grandmother couldn't understand how a woman could ride a horse astride as there was nothing to hold on to like the horn of a ladies' saddle under the flowing riding skirt.
My grandmother was a woman before her time and I was lucky to have her as part of my life for over 42 years. She was an avid bridge player with many Life Master points, a fierce backgammon player who seemed to be able to "call" the number she needed at appropriate times (her great-grandson has the same ability), a wicked sense of humor and most of all a love of life and curiosity about everything! She loved "the young" and listening to men talk as she was surrounded by women most of the time. She told me one time she wished she could have worked for a company like IBM so she could work all over the world.
She was a commanding presence whenever she walked into a room and as a child, "the look" was enough to make me behave, or stop whatever I was not supposed to be doing. But she also loved to have me climb into her bed in the mornings and she would tell me stories of her life in the early 20th century. She had a driver's license - number 3 in Washington, DC she always said.
When my father was courting my mother and he came to dinner, as the guest of honor he was placed at my grandmother's left, but as the food was passed to him last he often didn't get to eat much he said. My grandmother liked her food hot, so instead of waiting until everyone was served, she would begin eating and she was a fast eater. That meant, when she was finished she would call for the table to be cleared leaving my father hungry. But after a few times, he learned to eat very quickly and keep my grandmother in conversation so she couldn't finish so fast.
She loved to give parties and I was always welcome to bring my friends over to her house any time. When the University of Colorado football team went to the Orange Bowl in Miami, I invited my friends to stop in at my grandmother's house for a shower and a rest. One morning, there were about 15 people asleep around the edge of the pool when my grandmother came out to take her morning swim - au natural. I happened to glance out my bedroom to see her peering at the faces of the sleeping friends trying to decide if they were asleep enough for her to have her swim. She decided not to that morning.
Since the pool was very private we all swim as nature made us, but one afternoon when I was enjoying my swim, my grandmother came in with some of her bridge friends. I called out to her to wait a minute while I got out of the pool and into the bedroom. But she she brought her friends out and insisted it would impolite if I didn't say hello and shake their hands. I was at the far end of the pool but she and her friends were having a grand time. Finally they went back into the house to start a bridge game and I was able to sneak out of the pool.
Of course, on her 90th birthday, after an elegant delicious dinner with a group of friends who had come down in a bus from Indiana for the celebration the group ended up back at the house. Grandma went into her room and everyone was saying she must be tired after her busy day, that is, until she came back out naked but wrapped in a beach towel! "It's my birthday so I'm going swimming in my birthday suit. Come join me". And the entire party did! By the light of the moon, 65+ year olds all shed their clothes and jumped into the pool. A memorable night and hope I have that spirit and a place to swim on my 90th.
Monday, July 22, 2019
Musings from the Mountains
It's quite amazing with mountains all around, in the morning the sun rises from behind Doe Mountain and shines on Iron Mountain. Then in the afternoon, the sun sets behind Iron Mountain and shines on Doe Mountain
Foggy mornings as the sun burns off the fog which rises from the creek at the bottom of the mountain. Each day is a new "sight to behold" and one which I never get tired of.
The quiet is amazing. Especially after being up north in New York City where no one ever sleeps - or at least it seems that way. But what a fun place to visit if you can afford it!
My husband and I lived in a garden apartment on the upper East Side of Manhattan where we had to mow the law and water the plants.We often had barbeque parties out there. One night while we were grilling there was a knock at the door. I went to the door and there were 3 of the tallest firemen I've ever seen. They said a fire had been reported and they had come to check. It seems the super a few doors over with whom we had some disagreements (he wanted to dump his garbage in our yard) had reported us.
Once the firemen saw that we were taking care, they left to get to more important concerns. I did ask them if all of the fire fighters were as tall as they were, but they said they were with hook and ladder and had to be tall to reach the high ceilings in some of the old buildings in New York. Made sense to me. Wonder if it is true?
But now I have the peace and quiet which you never find in Manhattan.
Saturday, February 16, 2019
February Focus
Didn't get a chance to enjoy a Romantic Getaway with your sweetheart so far? No problem, our Sweetheart Specials continue throughout February and then look for "March Madness" specials next month.
It's been somewhat quiet this month so far. But that is a great time to catch up on my reading. I listen to lots of books on tape since I spend a great deal of time in my car and the last two books I read were "Running in the Rain" and "A Dog's Purpose". I'm surprised I didn't crash the car as I had tears pouring down my face listening to both of them. I'm an animal lover so anything in which an animal dies or there is something sad...I cry. But they are both excellent books told from the dog's point of view.
I've always had dogs and horses and cats in my previous life, but now I have cats. I treat my cats as though they were dogs so that I call them by name, I pat them like you would pat a dog, rub their fur like you would a dog and they respond like dogs,
Since I've been in Tennessee I've had 3 sets of cats and I arrived with two dogs. Unfortunately the dogs were elderly when I arrived and they died a few years after we moved here from Connecticut. The cats lived a good long time and when they passed away my neighbor's cat had kittens so.....after giving it some thought I took two. Then a third showed up on the driveway and moved in. These were Frankie (blue eyes like Frank Sinatra), Fearless (because she was) and then Gray Cat moved in. These were inside/outside cats who came in at night. But even though they stayed around the Inn most of the time, something from the forest got them. I'm sure it was either a coyote or a bobcat.
I debated getting more animals, but I missed the companionship so when I heard mewing from the garbage truck at the dump, I got the men working there to go into the garbage and bring Squeak out. Pure white and ribs which stuck through the skin. I don't know how she was still alive. Took her the vet, got some food and brought her home. What a wonderful friend she turned out to be! Pure white and although she never learned to purr she was my boon companion. We played tag, hide and seek and she loved to snuggle under the covers at night.
But I was concerned she might be lonely so I went to the animal rescue and found a black and white kitten to keep her company. Mouse was very standoffish....didn't want anything to do with anyone even though she was just a kitten. Can't imagine what trauma she had had in her young life.
And a year or so later up the driveway came another cat making lots of noise. Fat, black and very friendly. Although I asked all over the neighborhood no one claimed her so once again I had 3 cats because Noisy joined the family. But these 3 cats are inside and out on the screened in porch only.
All 3 cats live on the Garden Level in my quarters so that guests at the bnb who are allergic don't have to interact with them.
#lovemycats #interesting #romaticgetaway #bedand breakfast #dogs #sadbooks #kitten
It's been somewhat quiet this month so far. But that is a great time to catch up on my reading. I listen to lots of books on tape since I spend a great deal of time in my car and the last two books I read were "Running in the Rain" and "A Dog's Purpose". I'm surprised I didn't crash the car as I had tears pouring down my face listening to both of them. I'm an animal lover so anything in which an animal dies or there is something sad...I cry. But they are both excellent books told from the dog's point of view.
I've always had dogs and horses and cats in my previous life, but now I have cats. I treat my cats as though they were dogs so that I call them by name, I pat them like you would pat a dog, rub their fur like you would a dog and they respond like dogs,
Since I've been in Tennessee I've had 3 sets of cats and I arrived with two dogs. Unfortunately the dogs were elderly when I arrived and they died a few years after we moved here from Connecticut. The cats lived a good long time and when they passed away my neighbor's cat had kittens so.....after giving it some thought I took two. Then a third showed up on the driveway and moved in. These were Frankie (blue eyes like Frank Sinatra), Fearless (because she was) and then Gray Cat moved in. These were inside/outside cats who came in at night. But even though they stayed around the Inn most of the time, something from the forest got them. I'm sure it was either a coyote or a bobcat.
I debated getting more animals, but I missed the companionship so when I heard mewing from the garbage truck at the dump, I got the men working there to go into the garbage and bring Squeak out. Pure white and ribs which stuck through the skin. I don't know how she was still alive. Took her the vet, got some food and brought her home. What a wonderful friend she turned out to be! Pure white and although she never learned to purr she was my boon companion. We played tag, hide and seek and she loved to snuggle under the covers at night.
But I was concerned she might be lonely so I went to the animal rescue and found a black and white kitten to keep her company. Mouse was very standoffish....didn't want anything to do with anyone even though she was just a kitten. Can't imagine what trauma she had had in her young life.
And a year or so later up the driveway came another cat making lots of noise. Fat, black and very friendly. Although I asked all over the neighborhood no one claimed her so once again I had 3 cats because Noisy joined the family. But these 3 cats are inside and out on the screened in porch only.
All 3 cats live on the Garden Level in my quarters so that guests at the bnb who are allergic don't have to interact with them.
#lovemycats #interesting #romaticgetaway #bedand breakfast #dogs #sadbooks #kitten
Friday, April 15, 2016
IT'S BRISTOL, BABY!
For the past few weeks, all eyes have been on Bristol Motor Speedway and the new Colossus jumbotron which is now hanging high above the track! No matter where you sit.....you will have a bird's eye view of everything that is happening.
I know there are still seats available for the races this weekend and we still have a couple of rooms if you want to enjoy our "Pampering Perfected" service here at the Iron Mountain Inn B*B. We are about 45 minutes from the track and give you a "secret" back road so you don't get caught in all the traffic.
Speaking of roads....came down the Bristol Highway aka Volunteer Parkway yesterday and discovered that the left hand turn is now a right hand ramp! Had to go almost to Piney Flats before I could turn around and head in the right direction. Think this is going to make travel to and from the track a lot easier.....once you know the new way.
Also saw a notice that Scott's Strawberries will be arriving before too long. This is an event we wait all winter for - the arrival of the fresh local juicy sweet delicious strawberries at the pop up stands around the area. Or we can get them at the Food City supermarkets - but by the time I get to town those are usually all gone!
Lots of events coming up in Johnson County this spring and summer. Check out the events at the johnsoncountytnchamber.org for all the information on events and festivals in Johnson County.
Are you are a motorcycle rider? Come ride The Snake aka 421. Check out some great rides at www.421TheSnake.com. Stay at the Inn or the Creekside Chalet with your friends and enjoy 4 or 5 days of great riding.
Join the Johnson County Knights bike club invites everyone to come out to Chamber Park for a weekend of Family Fun. Starting at 5pm on Friday, May 6th, this weekend full of live music, games, races and more, will continue through 11pm on Saturday, May 7th. For additional information call (423)291-1082.
Prefer to challenge the trails on an ATV? Check out the miles of trails on Doe Mountain. New ones are always being created- in fact, if you'd like to help make one down to town, let Larry Potter, Johnson County Mayor know and he'll put together a work party. I'll supply the picnic food and drinks.
Hope you've enjoyed this compendium
Very secluded and private Creekside Chalet.net
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Springing toward Summer
Hooray! Spring is here and it hasn't come soon enough after the winter just past. Dancing daffodils are one my favorite flowers because they are the harbinger of warmer weather, sunny days and I can finally get out of those heavy bulky tops, pants and coats!
But oops....when getting out of them....it shows what winter's inactivity has done to the "rack" on which those heavy tops and bottoms hung! A few extra pounds...what exactly is meant by "a few"?
Is that two or three or could it mean five to ten? Whatever, thank heavens for elastic waist bands!
Walking around the Inn the other day, I was noticing that the plantings are in need of upgrading., Many of them have been here for 10 years or more and like the inside of the Inn. sprucing up is in order. So I called Mountain View Nursery aka Harvey Burniston, to come have a look. Now I have lots of new plants waiting to bloom.
So it's time for a trip to Wintergreen Farm to find flowers to fill the flower boxes all around the Inn and the Lake House. Last year I did great blue pots with red and white geraniums under the deck at the Lake House and boy did they look good against the pale blue, almost white house. It takes about 10 pots in each box and I have 14 boxes....I'm going to be busy.
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