Cousins, Love and The Outdoor Epicurean

Wow!  The Outdoor Epicurean is getting ready for feasting out of doors.  Ok translation… Getting ready for vacation is a lot of work.  Our trip to Maine was not like our trip to the Hilton in January.  HA!  Our chocolate lab, Decoy, senses that something is going on.  Gosh,  it amazes me how smart our pets are.  Could they be alien creatures living among  us to keep us loved and attentive.  I am truly smitten with our dogs.

Captain Rick informed me 20 minutes prior to leaving for a fishing trip that his July fishing reports are due.  OK… let me explain…20 minutes before he is to leave for 2 days and it takes more than 20 minutes to fill out the paperwork.  Well,  you would be so proud of me because I took it with a grain of salt, so to speak.  I think he was amazed and I know appreciative of the fact that we did not have negative energy around us before he heads out to sea.  I could have xeroxed  his journal and done it without him BUT I cannot make head or tails out of his well, for lack of a better word, cryptic shorthand.  Nicely stated, don’t you think?

We have 9 cousins going to the beach with us.  yes, it read it correctly.  Not 6 but the up side down 6, 9.  I must be out of my bird but the enthusiasm and joyful squeals that I hear as the 9 plan everything from breakfast, teaching the twins, Abbie and Jocelyn to read, and beach fun is heart warming.

I am generally an earthy kind of camper who doesn’t use much paper.  Think again folks.  I have 500 paper plates in my trailer as I type.  Better yet, I am also going to use the 4 th of July napkins that I had stashed in a dresser in the basement for future use.  Waste not want not is my motto.

So, we are heading to an island for 2 weeks to relax, yes relax.  The age span of the children are 18 months to 12.  I have home schooling planned after our sunrise walk on the beach and breakfast.

I will let you in on a little secret!  When Captain Rick and I did research on trailers prior to purchasing one, we found the Forest Glen company offer a trailer with an outdoor kitchen.  Yes, a chuck wagon sort of set up that Captain Rick is so proud of.  I have just completed rigging the outdoor kitchen for Chef Captain Rick.  He does most of the cooking on trips.  He loves the attention he receives from the ladies who spy the unit and want to ask questions.  I think it is a hoot.  Guess what?  I rarely cook while camping.  Gotcha!  Not bad for a NJ girl.

I get teased a lot of being from NJ.  People just think it consists of the turnpike and garden state parkway.  Wrong!  I must state that it is an absolutely beautiful place with mountains, oceans, valley, art, close to NY.   I loved growing up there.

The heat of the day has passed so I am now preparing to make some tomato sauce from the haul that Captain Rick brought in this morning.

Last night’s dinner for his mother was a success but the cake’s frosting do not set well.  I used dream whip because we live far from a grocery store and I did not have the time to trek out and be back in time for Captain Rick to remove his delicious chicken from the grill.  We have a Big Green Egg. It was a present to myself after I completed my first Masters degree.  He uses it all the time.  Once again… creative thinking. I feel it has paid for itself 10 times over because it keeps my kitchen cool and there is no mess.  Additional yeahs  because I am not involved at all.  Except for eating the delicious food that is.

Tomorrow will be an interesting day because 6 of the cousins who are vacationing with us are coming over to help.  Yes, I said help.  I laughed as I typed this.  Who am I kidding?  I will plan a sketchy menu because I am flexible in my approach to my husband’s cooking.  We will eat a lot of sandwiches on the beach.  Easy going… laid back… family is all that matters.  It is what life is all about and cousins are special because they are the only ones who know how crazy a family can be and not be embarrassed by it.  Cousins are there for one another through thick and thin.  I am blessed to have a lot of cousins for our daughters and granddaughters to connect with.

I will talk to you later.  The tomatoes are calling!

Maggie

Net Domestic cans sweet watermelon rind pickles

I thought of the term Net Domestic and thought it sounded sought of, well, maybe neat!  OK, maybe not to everyone but I just had one of those moments.

My day started off  just like any other Sunday.  After church, we returned home to make waffles.  I kicked it  up a notch and added strawberries and bananas.  Captain Rick took it further and got the whip cream dispenser from the kitchen and well…it was delicious.

I have started to use our dining room table for meals instead of art projects, library books and magazines.  Today we served waffles in the dining room and the twins passed the bowl of strawberries and acted very special.  I think it important to teach children early on good tables manners.  Yes, we had the usual spills and there was a strawberry found under a chair after the meal, but other than that, it was fun!

The girls are learning how to do household chores.  At age 5, they are now emptying the dishwasher and passing me the dishes to put away.  They set the table for breakfast and dinner last night.  I find it interesting that they really do seem to enjoy it.  I have explained that this is how families work .  Grandchildren are so special.

Captain Rick brought in watermelons that he and the girls planted.  Here are some photos of my batch of watermelon pickles. 

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2 medium size watermelon

1 pinch alum ( optional)

1 cup kosher salt

Slice the watermelon in half.  Lay the flat side down and peel the skin off the watermelon.  I used a cheese slice/plane to get the skin off in large sizes.

Invert the watermelon and scoop out the insides of the watermelon.  I used an avocado scoop and it went quickly.  Reserve the inside for smoothies, ice pops or frozen ice.  I place the pulp. seeds and all into a blender and puree.  Check for sweetness and add a little honey or sugar to taste.

Turn the watermelon bowls over and trim off the ends.  Slice the rind into 1 inch wide pieces.  Cut the length to fit the ball jar height.  Save the scraps for smaller pickles.

In a crock or non-metal container, bucket, combine the salt, alum and water.  Stir until dissolved.  Place a watermelon in the crock and place a dish on top of the watermelon to keep it submerged.  I place a pot top of top of the plate for extra weight. Cover with a dish towel and let sit 12 hours of or overnight.

Drain the watermelon from the crock and set into a bowl.  If the rind still has the flesh part of the watermelon, slice it off at this time.

To a large pot add:

8 cups white vinegar

4-5 cups water this depends on the acidity of the vinegar.  If you pucker when  you sample this,  add the extra cup.

4 cups sugar

1/4 cup pickling spice

Cook over high heat until a hard boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes.

Place the watermelon in sterilized jars.  I lay the jars on it side so the watermelon is straight when  upright.  Plus, I think it looks cool.

Ladle the hot liquid into the jar.  Be sure the watermelon is covered with liquid.  Leave 1 inch from the top which is the outer rim of the jar.  Wipe the rims with a paper towel, attach lid and band.  Insert the canning rack inside of the canning kettle.  If you do not have one, use a dish towel. Place the jars in a pot of water.  The water should be 1 inch over the tallest jar.  I use my finger and it is up to my first knuckle.

Place  the kettle over high heat and when it is at a hard boil, reduce the heat to medium and start the timer for 10 minutes.

When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and use tongs to lift the jars out of the water.  Set aside to cool.  You will hear the magical boink of the lids popping to let you know you did it baby!  Enjoy.

Best Regards,

Maggie

Busy days of summer!

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I am playing around with a brand name for our company.  How does NET DOMESTIC.com sound?

Day 1 Maine: Lobsters. Tubing and Bass

Yesterday was our first full day in Maine.  We had a lot of family visiting and the kids had a blast.  There was a total of 7 cousins playing, running and laughing.  I will post pictures with this post.  Uncle Scot, a lobstermen, brought 15 beautiful lobsters.  Everyone was in awe of the deliciousness.  We feasted on clams, mussels and lobster.  I made potato salad and used 10 pounds of red  potatoes!  Yes, there are leftovers, but not a lot of it.

Potato salad

The potatoes should  be cooked the day prior to eating so it has sufficient time to chill.

10 pounds red potatoes, cooked and peeled

2 cups mayonnaise

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoon stevia

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2 cups celery, diced

1 cup onion, minced

2 tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine the potato, celery and onion in a large bowl.  In a separate mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper.  pour the mayonnaise mixture over the potato mixture and toss.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

serves 15

Back on the road again!

Amazing! That is the only word I can think of to describe the past 12 hours. The truck is repaired and we are heading to camp. Good bye Fishkill, NY and thank you for your hospitality,

Margaret Alice

Unexpected stop…

We have a problem with the truck. The water pump broke and spewed water all over the parking lot. By the grace of God, we were in the hotel parking lot.

The problem will be resolved. We have AAA who towed the truck to the dealership. They have the part in stock so we are expected to be on the road again this morning. Life happens!

Stop number 2

Well, we made it 30 miles before the we stopped for Abby needed to uses the restroom. We picked up mountain dew for the driver and are now back on the road. I am curious to see how far we will get tonight. Our reservations are for fish kill ,NY but I sort of have reservations as to how far we will get.

Maine, here we come!

We are en route to Maine . Captain Rick’s mother has a camp on china lake. The truck is packed! We have 6 passengers, three generations in the truck. Captain Rick and have brought the twins, age 5 and great pop pop and great nana are here as well.

So far so good. cracker barrel was our lunch stop. Now we are back on the road!

More to follow…

Margaret Alice

Sauerkraut

We have been very busy with canning and sauerkraut preparation. We grew the cabbage in the garden and weighed 50 lbs of shredded deliciousness. I am always amazed at how sweet cabbage is out of the garden. I shredded small batches, salted each batch with 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
I pressed them into the crock and weighted the top of the cabbage with a plate. On top of the plate, I placed 2 quart jars filled with cold water. This extra step keeps the cabbage condensed and the brine seeps over the tops of the plate. I placed a sheet of cheesecloth on top of the crocks and fastened it with elastic. Now, we have to be patient and let nature do its magic!

Enjoy,

Margaret Alice

Camping test …check!

Captain Rick and i are returning from a short camping trip to welcome the end of school and beginning of summer.  We went to assateague island and visited the ponies. Local stories state the ponies are descendants of a group of horses whose shipsmacked. The ponies swam ashore to the island.  The state park is nice. The folks at the park friendly.  It is like stepping back in time.

I will post photos when I get to the mainland.

 

 

Enjoy life,

Margaret Alice