May | 2011 | perelandra30's Xanga Site

Prayer petition

To all of those who read this and are inclined to pray for special intentions; my father goes into the hospital tomorrow to have a rather large tumor removed from his chest. The surgery is merely to give him some comfort it is not for treatment purposes. I ask that he have prayers for courage to face whatever is ahead and strength for the rest of the family.
Thank you.
Fun times with good friends

Several times a year we get together with some very good friends. Part of the tradition is to have music before we leave. In the past few years Mary-Kate has become our piano player and either Matthew or Ryan have sung for us. Tonight Mary-Kate and Matthew got together at the piano and played a silly duet. Though our numbers are diminishing the fun never will and the fond memories of times spent with the Dalys will live in our hearts forever.
You know it's a small town parade when....

the number of fire trucks out number the people in the line-up.
when they have to flesh out the line up with the pace car from the race track,
the highway department's bucket truck,

and the snowplow that they have spruced up to store away for the summer. (we don't think there will be any more snow for awhile!)
You know it's a small town parade when one of the firemen who is marching is also your mechanic.
Hooray for small towns.

How to prepare a snapping turtle

Just in case anyone thinks that I am an old hand at preparing anything that happens to wander onto our property, you're wrong. Usually I just get out a cookbook, employ Google, or wing it.

This is the link that I found and below it is what we followed to kill and prepare the turtle that Jason and Matthew found and caught this morning. Time will tell if it is good but in a house full of men I know that it won't go to waste.

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Cook-Snapping-Turtle&id=334754

Where I grew up in south Louisiana, we saw plenty of snapping turtles, but most of us never thought to eat one. Maybe it's because we were blessed with having so many crawfish around, which were much easier--and less dangerous!--to catch and cook.

Nevertheless, occasionally one of my readers has asked me how to cook a snapping turtle. So, if you happen to find one of these rather nasty looking critters in your fishing net, or have one packed away inside your freezer, here's a great way to prepare it.

By the way, snapping turtle is actually quite delicious!

Assuming you have a live snapper on your hands, the first step, of course, is to kill it. Don some gloves, grab a sharp knife, and cut off the turtle's head as quickly and cleanly as possible. There will be blood, of course, which you should allow to run down the drain of your sink until the flow has slowed considerably.

Now drop the turtle's body, shell and all (except the head, of course) into a big pot of boiling water. Boil for 8 minutes. This is mainly to make cleaning it easier.

Remove the turtle from the pot and allow it to cool sufficiently to be able to handle it. Take your sharp knife and cut away the plastron, or lower shell. Remove the intestines and other organs. Now cut the good stuff, the meat, away from the top shell; be sure to include the legs and tail, which are the best-tasting parts (the skin should come off of these easily after boiling).

You can cook turtle meat, whether from a snapper or some other species, in many different ways. My favorite is this snapping turtle stew:

1. Cut the turtle meat into cubes.

2. Begin browning the meat in a hot frying pan with cooking oil. Add a chopped onion, one or two chopped cloves of garlic and continue cooking until the meat is browned all over.

3. Drain the oil from the frying pan. Remove the meat, onion and garlic and place them in a saucepan (one with a lid). Add 2 cans of tomatoes and 4 sliced or chopped potatoes, some salt and pepper, and enough water to cover everything.

4. Cover the saucepan and cook at a strong simmer for 40 to 50 minutes.

5. Enjoy!

Sarah Sandori is the food and entertaining columnist for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Have you ever wanted to be able to exactly duplicate a favorite dish from a favorite restaurant? Check out Sarah's article where she reveals her secret source for the most mouth-watering restaurant recipes in America: http://www.solid-gold.info/most-wanted-recipes.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/334754

Look who came to be dinner....

Jason was across the creek making fence and he ran across this fellow. Matthew caught him and is now doing the dirty deed in the back yard. I guess turtle is on the menu tonight.
It happened overnight!

Yesterday these climatis vines were loaded with buds that were shut up tight. This morning I came out and was surprised to find them covered in blooms. I guess that 2/10 of an inch of rain that fell last night was enough to make them burst open.
It's a primary day.

There is nothing like a little red wagon. This one is equipped with a nice blue seat belt.
Ian's bright red Dodge truck and his new blue Ford tractor.
What says yellow better than a schoolbus.
The Simple Womans Daybook 30 May 2011

Outside my window...it is like a tropical rainforest. I don't know what the relative humidity is but I can tell by the paper in my printer that it is quite high. With my window open I can smell the ground that Ian plowed on Friday. Please, God let the sun come out and dry things up today. Farmers need to get the rest of their crops in the ground and start cutting hay before the hay gets too old and loses its nutritional value.
I am thinking...about parades. I would like to take Layn to the parade in town today.
I am thankful for...old friends and new. Yesterday we spent the day celebrating the Confirmation of a friend's son. It is so refreshing to get together with other Catholic families who are like minded and celebrate the infusion of the Holy Spirit in this young man.
From the schoolroom...I will be the lone student. If the weather cooperates I think I will take it outside and enjoy nature while I study.
From the kitchen...who knows but I am sure we will all come up with something.
I am wearing....jammies.
I am creating...inspiring prose and brilliant poetry.
I am going...to take Layn to the parade and then stay home all day long.
I am reading...Get a Freelance Life by Margit Feury Ragland
I am hoping...things that I am unable to express here. God's will be done.
I am hearing...Ian and Doug talking in the kitchen. Mary-Kate making her breakfast. Melissa in the shower, and Layn having his breakfast.
Around the house...all is status quo.
One of my favorite things...being able to communicate with my husband without speaking, a necessary skill in a house this full.
A few plans for the rest of the week....more of the same interspersed with some of the unusual.
Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you...

A quick glimpse from Friday night's parade.
In the pink
The White and Black of it

Fresh from a nap and lovable in any color.

We have some very nice looking old hardware around this old house.
Deep in thought.
MK's climatis vine.

What a tornado watch looks like around here.
Everyday black and white.
Some of my favorite black and white.
More of my favorite black and white.