Though I never thought I'd be a blogger, I have found this as a tool to write down thoughts and keep my writing skills from becoming too dusty, in case I'd ever get around to my dream hobby of writing a book.
It is interesting that when searching the internet for some ancestry information, I "met" my deceased uncle's step-grandson's wife, through her blog. We have shared some ancestry information, and I learned more about part of my uncle's life that I hadn't known earlier.
On one of the other blogs that I've been writing for a couple months, I was inspired to write a little piece about the Ten Commandments after reading about some controversial actions regarding the Ten Commandments monolith in Fargo, ND. For those that don't know me, my grandfather's cousin helped to spearhead the effort that got these monuments and other replicas placed in public places in the 1940s to 1960s. This makes the topic a piece of my family history. Anyway, a few days after I posted on the particular topic, the author of one of the pieces I linked to, commented on my blog. She is writing a book about the monoliths. Just goes to show you, you never know who is reading what you are writing.
I used to post comments frequently on an area newspaper site, and during that time, got to "know" several of the posters. After several years of posting, many of us got together at a central MN location last fall. It was fun connecting faces to the online personas. A few were surprising, but most turned out to be much like I imagined them to be. I don't post there so much anymore, just because other interests and my work have taken more of my time, but I still log in occasionally and take the pulse of political leanings, news interests, and such.
While blogging, I also run across people whom I've never met, and likely never will, but who have blogs that are interesting reads or have similar hobbies, political views, etc. I have always been a fan of biographies and real life stories, no matter how seemingly ordinary, so perhaps that is why I enjoy reading other's blogs. So to all of you reading this, keep on reading, and start a blog of your own, so I can keep on reading, as well!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
A Loony Weekend
Silver Lake 4-19-2008:Ice is gone!
Silver Lake 4-18-2008
: 1/2 Thawed!Swan Lake 4-19-2008: Up Close
Swan Lake 4-19-2008: I bet those babies are a wee bit chilly!
Swan Lake 4-19-2008: It looks a little crowded...still a thin ice cover in large areas.
The loons have arrived, although they usually don't stay long. We are just a respite on their trip to the north. Here are a few pictures from Silver Lake (out my back door) and Swan Lake(across town), where Rick was able to get a little closer to the action. You can get a little closer to the action in most of the photos by just clicking on the photo for a close-up.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Pancakes & Syrup
As a kid, Saturday lunch was always pancakes and syrup. Both homemade. As early as I can remember, I didn't care for either. I'm not sure if I got tired of them or if I didn't like the way they were prepared, but I usually went "lunchless" on Saturday. Perhaps it was the time I got sick in church after eating buckwheat pancakes that turned me off of all pancakes. Maybe it was the bacon fat the pancakes were fried in that caused them to have patches of black. The syrup, which was usually just brown sugar and water, boiled a tad too long sometimes, didn't do much for me either.
Maybe it was just a Saturday thing...I also didn't care for the weekly Saturday supper of spaghetti and meat sauce...but the homemade bread was to die for. We always drank buttermilk, as it could be purchased for 10 cents a gallon at the local creamery (the price did go up over the years). I didn't like buttermilk, either. So, Saturday was somewhat of a bread and water day for me. If I was really hungry, I would eat just the spaghetti noodles with a tiny amount of sauce mixed up in it, but I rarely caved in to eating pancakes.
Given my dislike of pancakes and spaghetti, it used to puzzle me that different organizations and church groups would hold pancake breakfasts or spaghetti suppers to raise funds. Who went to these functions and why were the foods I disliked most so popular? I never attended one of these functions as a diner, although I worked at a few in high school.
Fast forward to adulthood, and I started eating pancakes. The habit didn't start until I had children, and then it was occasional. My husband liked pancakes, and I didn't think I needed to pass my aversions on to my children. In the beginning, I just thought of them as okay. I made the pancakes from a mix and used bottled syrup; sometimes maple (or artificial maple), and sometimes flavored syrup. I also loved to make waffles, which was something we didn't have growing up. It would have been hard to keep the waffles flowing when cooking for thirteen.
A number of years ago, while I was visiting my aunt in Georgia, she made some pancakes from scratch that were very light and fluffy, and turned out to be a delightful treat. That may very well have been a turning point for me. I started enjoying pancakes, not just tolerating them. My husband used to make a wonderful banana nut pancake with banana syrup. We haven't had those in a while. I'll have to dig out that recipe. We do have pannekoeken (baked pancake) on a regular basis.
My daughter requested pancakes on vacation last month. Not just any pancakes, but pancakes from the family recipe of one of her friends. Once she ate those pancakes at their home, there was nothing better in her mind when it came to pancakes. I fulfilled the request, and enjoyed somewhat of a pancake paradise. The pancakes are easy to make, are very thin, spread with a thin layer of peanut butter, then topped with the most luscious syrup. Each of the elements of the meal has its own special part in making this a mouth watering experience. Enjoy!
2-2-2 Pancakes
2 T. butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 c. milk, room temperature
Mix butter and eggs. Add flour, salt, baking powder and mix to wet. Slowly add milk to desired consistency (we like ours thin). Pour on to hot griddle (plate size), flipping after bubbles form around the edge and gloss is gone. Serve topped with peanut butter and syrup.
Syrup
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c. whipping cream
Combine in small sauce pan and bring to just boiling, reduce heat, simmer for two minutes (until sugar is dissolved). Great on pancakes or use when making caramel rolls.
Maybe it was just a Saturday thing...I also didn't care for the weekly Saturday supper of spaghetti and meat sauce...but the homemade bread was to die for. We always drank buttermilk, as it could be purchased for 10 cents a gallon at the local creamery (the price did go up over the years). I didn't like buttermilk, either. So, Saturday was somewhat of a bread and water day for me. If I was really hungry, I would eat just the spaghetti noodles with a tiny amount of sauce mixed up in it, but I rarely caved in to eating pancakes.
Given my dislike of pancakes and spaghetti, it used to puzzle me that different organizations and church groups would hold pancake breakfasts or spaghetti suppers to raise funds. Who went to these functions and why were the foods I disliked most so popular? I never attended one of these functions as a diner, although I worked at a few in high school.
Fast forward to adulthood, and I started eating pancakes. The habit didn't start until I had children, and then it was occasional. My husband liked pancakes, and I didn't think I needed to pass my aversions on to my children. In the beginning, I just thought of them as okay. I made the pancakes from a mix and used bottled syrup; sometimes maple (or artificial maple), and sometimes flavored syrup. I also loved to make waffles, which was something we didn't have growing up. It would have been hard to keep the waffles flowing when cooking for thirteen.
A number of years ago, while I was visiting my aunt in Georgia, she made some pancakes from scratch that were very light and fluffy, and turned out to be a delightful treat. That may very well have been a turning point for me. I started enjoying pancakes, not just tolerating them. My husband used to make a wonderful banana nut pancake with banana syrup. We haven't had those in a while. I'll have to dig out that recipe. We do have pannekoeken (baked pancake) on a regular basis.
My daughter requested pancakes on vacation last month. Not just any pancakes, but pancakes from the family recipe of one of her friends. Once she ate those pancakes at their home, there was nothing better in her mind when it came to pancakes. I fulfilled the request, and enjoyed somewhat of a pancake paradise. The pancakes are easy to make, are very thin, spread with a thin layer of peanut butter, then topped with the most luscious syrup. Each of the elements of the meal has its own special part in making this a mouth watering experience. Enjoy!
2-2-2 Pancakes
2 T. butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 c. milk, room temperature
Mix butter and eggs. Add flour, salt, baking powder and mix to wet. Slowly add milk to desired consistency (we like ours thin). Pour on to hot griddle (plate size), flipping after bubbles form around the edge and gloss is gone. Serve topped with peanut butter and syrup.
Syrup
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c. whipping cream
Combine in small sauce pan and bring to just boiling, reduce heat, simmer for two minutes (until sugar is dissolved). Great on pancakes or use when making caramel rolls.
Blog? Who, Me?
Never thought I would be a blogger, but I do like to write...sometimes. The thought of my words ending up out in cyberspace, floating around endlessly, is a wee bit scary. What if I say something really unwise, and then it comes back to haunt me, like when I run for president, or something? LOL!
Seriously, since I never expect to run for political office, I imagine there is nothing I write that can and will be used against me.
Mostly, I'll write about family, hobbies, and occasionally news or politics. There will definitely be more than an occasional reference to food, and probably a word or two about my pets. Feel free to leave a comment once in awhile.
Seriously, since I never expect to run for political office, I imagine there is nothing I write that can and will be used against me.
Mostly, I'll write about family, hobbies, and occasionally news or politics. There will definitely be more than an occasional reference to food, and probably a word or two about my pets. Feel free to leave a comment once in awhile.
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