Category Archives: Uncategorized

That Expression!

01 Thursday Feb 2018

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Our two year old grandson came to visit this Christmas. He was intrigued by our German Christmas Pyramid, and he would ask me to light it several times a day.

One day, just before Christmas, he came to me and said, “Grandma, can we put the fire on the spin thing?” So, how does a Grandma say no to a request like that…not to mention I love taking pictures of all my grandchildren, and here was another perfect chance.

And how sweet is that picture…can you not just see the wonder in his eyes! Well, let me tell you the rest of the story. My camera caught that little boy at just the perfect moment. He was not at all enthralled by the “spin”. Not two seconds later, his real intention was as clear as the fire on the candle wicks…the real purpose was to light the “spin thing” so he could see how long it would take to blow out all those candles, and to display pride in his accomplishment. Unfortunately, my camera did not capture that expression, but it was equally endearing…because he is a lot like his Daddy.

These are the moments I treasure, my most beloved moments, supplied by family.

In response to the Weekly Photo Challenge, Beloved

Focus

16 Friday Jun 2017

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I love the phrase, and I love to be “out and about”‘ When I go out, I find that my focus is constantly changing. Sometimes I want a view of the whole, to actually feel where I am, to put myself in that place…

But very often I find I want to get as up close and personal as I possibly can…I want to see what nature really looks like, how nature actually accomplishes those activities that make this planet a very special place…

I want to see the inside of the bloodroot flower…

I want to catch that bumblebee on the milkweed…

I want to catch the skipper as it pollinates the purple coneflower…

But sometimes I just want to step back a little and admire the beauty of a Monarch on a milkweed…

Sometimes I want to marvel at the feathers of a mallard…

And, all the time, just let me be out and about, to fix my focus, to enjoy any focus, to cherish this world with my own perspective.

This post is in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge, Focus

A Midwestern Castle Ruin…and a Kale with Caramelized Onion Dish

12 Monday Jun 2017

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As anyone who has followed my blog knows, I spent much of the last year visiting and writing about the national parks that are found in my home state of Missouri. It was fun and rewarding, and we even found one, George Washington Carver National Monument, to which we had never been, and discovered that it was actually our favorite.

The state of Missouri is currently celebrating 100 years of Missouri State Parks. There are eighty-eight state parks and historic sites in all in Missouri, and so, of course, my husband and I are in the process of visiting each and every one of them. We are very fortunate in Missouri to have free admission to all our state parks, and I hope that remains so forever.

The state has issued a Centennial Passport in honor of this milestone anniversary, and we are busy getting each page of our passport stamped. I was lucky enough to be at the opening of our newest park, Echo Bluff, where I was able to have my passport signed by the governor of the state, making it an extra-special keepsake. I am easily excited, and smiles come fairly easily, too! Over this year, as I collect my passport stamps, I hope to share some of what our magnificent Missouri parks have to offer…and in that endeavor we begin with one of our favorites…

Ha Ha Tonka State Park…”Smiling Water”

Ha Ha Tonka State Park sits at the side of the Lake of the Ozarks in south central Missouri. It is located in Missouri’s karst region, and is known as the best place within the “Cave State” to learn about karst. A karst region is simply an area where the landscape is built on a foundation of soluble rock such as limestone and dolomite. As these rocks dissolve over many years, sinkholes, caves, underground streams, and springs develop. It is possible to find all the elements of a karst landscape within the boundaries of Ha Ha Tonka State Park.

Ha Ha Tonka is a fascinating place in a fascinating area. On fourteen trails, covering a little more that eighteen miles, it is easy to see and experience a lot of what it has to offer. So, let’s take a little tour…I say little, because I have not been to all the views, nor all the experiences on all the trails, but what I have done, and what I have seen was well worth the journey, and the effort.

My favorite trail is the Spring Trail. It is 1.5 miles long, and takes you along a scenic view of the lake before climbing 316 wooden stairs up to a bluff top from which there are fantastic views of the park and the castle ruins…ruins we will talk about in a bit.

As you begin your hike, you will walk along the lake edge on one side, and a towering bluff on the other. It is an easy, flat, and surfaced trail for the first bit, until you get closer to the spring.

The Niangua branch of the Lake of the Ozarks

As you leave the lake, you will continue along a mill race which served a community mill, a reminder that a community existed in this place, and people lived here before the area was flooded to create the Lake of the Ozarks. It is very peaceful and still through here, and believe me, you can leave a lot of the things that have been bothering you for quite some time back at you car, and never think about them for a while. I love it!

This grind stone is a relic from a community that was on this site many years ago.
You will be walking along towering bluffs,
Everywhere you look, it is a beautiful place to find yourself.
These turtles are out sunning, enjoying the day…as ware we.
And perhaps you will be lucky enough to see a young family of wood ducks on the mill race.

Along this path is another trail that leads out across the trace to a small island. It is a circular trail, and will bring you back to the Spring Trail.

You can climb to a large balanced rock on the island.

My favorite activity on the island is studying the rock formations, how they have dissolved, and how ferns and mosses, lichens and other plants defy the elements and grow profusely.

Just before you come to the spring, your path becomes a boardwalk. Along this portion of the trail you will see new plants, depending on the time of the year. When we visited this spring, there were so many colonies of columbine in full bloom…

 

There are “Skinny Rocks” on the trail as you finally reach the spring.

The “Skinny Rocks”
Just keep squeezing through!
Ha Ha Tonka Spring is one half mile from the start of the trail. It discharges 58 million gallons of water into the Lake of the Ozarks each and every day.

And now you have a decision to make, because if front of you are 316 wooden stairs that lead to the top of the bluff along which you have been walking. They seem daunting, but they are not nearly as hard a you might think. There are plenty of places to stop to take a breath as you climb…and believe me, I have used most of them. It is worth the climb, because the upper trail is beautiful…

One morning, a rainy, humid morning, we saw this fog roll across the spring waters. It was worth getting wet.
The wooden steps seems to just keep being along your path…but they do end!
At the top, the trail continues…
and the views are spectacular.
A beautiful view of the castle ruins.

You can join another trail and hike on to the Natural Bridge. The bridge was formed when the ceiling of a cave became so thin in two places, that it caved in, making two sinkholes, with a stronger section remaining between them.

This part of the cave remained in tact when sinkholes formed on either side, creating a natural bridge.

And if you go to Ha Ha Tonka State Park, you must go to see the castle ruins.

In 1903, Robert Snyder, a wealthy businessman form Kansas City, purchased 5,000 acres in the area, including the spring. His goal was to build a luxury lodge to be used as a private retreat. Before it was finished, Snyder was killed in an automobile accident.

Later on, Snyder’s sons completed the castle, and for a while used it as a summer residence. At some point they turned it into a summer hotel, and then tragedy struck again in 1942. The wooden roof shingles caught fire and the entire castle was gutted, and has remained so ever since. Here are pictures of the ruins as they appear today…

But my favorite picture of the castle is one I took last year. I played around with it a bit, turned it into a black and white photo…and it made the greatest under layer for a Halloween card ever!

Ha Ha Tonka State Park is a beautiful treasure in mid-Missouri. I hope you will have an opportunity to experience its wonders someday, just as we have.

A Mid-Missouri Side Dish

Sauteed Kale with Caramelized Onions

  • Servings: 3-4
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I adapted this recipe from “The Cast Iron Cookbook” by Sharon Kramis and Julie Kramis Hearne. Swiss Chard is the green in the original recipe, but I often make it with kale.

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp. butter
  • 1/2 yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 tsp. sugar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 bunch kale, cut into 2 inch strips
  • 2 Tbsp. orange juice
  • 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup white beans

Directions

  1. Melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter in a 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and a pinch of salt and continue cooking until caramelized, about 5 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate.
  2. Add 1 Tbsp. butter to the skillet along with the kale. Stir in the orange juice, and the apple cider vinegar. Cook until the liquids starts to evaporate, about 10 minutes.
  3. Add the caramelized onions to the kale, and keep warm.
  4.  In a small skillet, saute the white beans for 3 minutes, until slightly browned.
  5. Add the beans to the kale and onion mixture and stir them all together.
  6. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately. Enjoy!

A Surprise For These Old Eyes

15 Saturday Apr 2017

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While hiking a woodland trail near our home recently, I caught a picture of a little Carolina Chickadee on a tree…

When I return from any hike or photo adventure, the very first thing I do is put my camera chip into the computer to view my pictures. I was hoping that the picture of the chickadee would be a good shot. What a pleasant surprise…I caught not one, but two chickadees working the bark of the tree!

That picture made my day. In the moment, I had missed that little head peeking around the back side, because my eyes no longer see as well as they used to…but my camera caught it, and I am still thrilled.

In response to the Weekly Photo Challenge, Surprise

Security

07 Friday Apr 2017

Posted by in Uncategorized, Weekly Photo Challenge

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Home…enough said!

In Response to the Weekly Photo Challenge, Security

That Accidental Special Place Along the Way…and Chicken with Rice and Almonds

16 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by in England, Food, Photography, Poultry Dishes, Travel, Uncategorized

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Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset, England

It has so often happened, as we have traveled over all these many years, that the most memorable places we have visited are those we merely happened upon. That was certainly true as we traveled to England last summer.

While planning our trip abroad, our son asked me, “Mom, is there anything special you want to see?” I was ready with the answer, the answer I would have had to that question since reading “Salisbury”, by Edmund Rutherford many years ago. I wanted to see Stonehenge. And we did, and I loved it. But…then our son told us that he wanted to stop at a place along the way. He had rented a car for the trip from London to Stonehenge, and this place was along the route we would be taking. And there it was…that special place along the road, the one I never imagined, the one I loved more than anything else I saw on the entire trip. I loved it for so many different reasons, and I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend time walking the grounds of, and feeling the mystique of, the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey.

Glastonbury Abbey as it appears in the 21st century.

Legend tells us that the original church in Glastonbury was built in the first century by Joseph of Arimathea, on a journey he made to the area with Jesus, who was a child at the time. Legend also tells us that it was here at Glastonbury that Joseph buried the Holy Grail, the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper. You may remember Joseph as the man who took the responsibility for burying Jesus following His crucifixion.

There is no historical evidence to support these claims, and the mystery of the Grail continues to this day. Archaeologists have found evidence, however, that the first church, of wattle and daub, establishing the abbey at Glastonbury may have been built as early as the second century.

The ruins of Glastonbury Abbey

That it is the burial place of King Arthur and Lady Guinevere is another legend associated with Glastonbury Abbey. There are several versions of how the graves were discovered, but we do know that when the bones believed to be that of the King and Queen were placed in a new grave in 1191, pilgrimages to Glastonbury rose, bringing much needed “tourist” money to the abbey. In 1278, the bones of King Arthur and Lady Guinevere were moved once again to a new grave within a rebuilt abbey.

The grave of King Arthur

Here are some facts we do know about Glastonbury Abbey, and its place in English history.

  • The first stone church at Glastonbury was built by the Saxon king, Ine of Wessex in 712. It was enlarged in the eighth century, and then again in the tenth. The stone to build the abbey came from its own quarry.
  • By 1086, Glastonbury Abbey was recorded as the wealthiest monastery in all of England.
  • In 1184, a fire destroyed most of the monastery, leaving only the bell tower and one small room.
  • The abbey was restored with financial assistance from the crown under King Henry II. It was during this reconstruction that the grave of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere are said to have been discovered.
  • In 1539, Glastonbury Abbey was closed by Henry VIII as part of his Dissolution of the Monasteries. The property was stripped of its wealth and its treasures, most of the proceeds going to fund the military campaigns of King Henry VIII in the 1540’s. He sold the property itself, after which much of its stone and ornate stoneworks were taken away to build and adorn other buildings. At one time the abbey even became a quarry.
  • After years of decline and destruction, the abbey came under the protection of the Ancient Monuments Protection Act of 1882. Archaeological studies were conducted, historical research ensued, and Glastonbury Abbey was opened to the public as a place to visit, a place for quiet reflection, a place of renewal.

One of the most beautiful places on the Glastonbury grounds is the remains of the Lady Chapel. A Lady Chapel is the largest side chapel of a cathedral, and is built in an easterly direction from the high altar of the cathedral.

For me, the Lady Chapel was not only the most beautiful, but the most inspiring and sacred place on the grounds. I was most taken by the resilience of nature…that nature can surmount all odds, and burst forth to change our perspectives, our ability to hope and dream, and in so doing enrich our lives. Out of all the ruin, out of all the destruction, came wildflowers and grasses. They were the highlight of my experience, and they were that one thing about the abbey that still stays with me, making Glastonbury Abbey one of my most treasured experiences.

Coming upon Lady Chapel…
The side wall of the chapel…
Looking into Lady Chapel…
After all this time, and all the destruction, the beauty of this place still remains…
I just love this place…
where nature will not be held back…
where nature tells us there is much for which to hope.

The most well preserved building of the abbey is the Abbott’s Kitchen. Built between 1334 and 1342, it is an octagonal building with its massive chimney still intact. Inside the kitchen are four fireplaces. The Kitchen has been set up to display a feeling of how the abbott lived within the confines of the monastery.

The Abbot’s Kitchen…
The chimney from inside the Abbot’s Kitchen…
One of the four fireplaces inside the kitchen….
What it might have been like inside the kitchen in medieval times.

Visiting Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset was one part of our experience of a lifetime, traveling England.

Chicken with Rice and Almonds

While traveling in England, I purchased several cookbooks…it is what I do anywhere I go! I love making recipes from other places, and I especially enjoy experiencing the tastes of many years ago. One of the cookbooks I purchased was “The Medieval Cookbook: 50 Authentic Recipes, Translated and Adapted for the Modern Cook”, by Maggie Black, and published by The British Museum Press.

I can imagine the cooks in the Abbot’s Kitchen cooking up this dish for the abbot. Here is my version of this recipe. I hope you enjoy it, and maybe think about Old England, and what it might have been like at Glastonbury Abbey. Enjoy!

Chicken with Rice and Almonds

A fairly simple recipe to bring to life the food of many years ago.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. long grain rice
  • 2 1/2 pints chicken stock (I use homemade turkey stock)
  • 4 oz. ground almonds
  • 1# ground chicken (I use ground turkey)
  • 1 Tbsp. lard or butter, melted
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 oz. slivered almonds, toasted
  • A sprinkling of white sugar or dried saffron strands

Directions

  1. Cook the rice in 2 pints of the chicken stock. Cool.
  2. Cook the ground meat in another pan.
  3. In the remaining stock, steep the ground almonds for about 15 minutes. Strain the almond milk into the cooled rice, and bring to a simmer.
  4. Stir in the cooked ground meat and the lard, stirring to warm everything together.
  5. Season the dish as you cook it.
  6. Serve the chicken and rice in bowls with a sprinkle of slivered almonds and the sugar or saffron threads.

 

Christmas at State Historic Sites, and Holiday Turkey, Act II

04 Sunday Dec 2016

Posted by in Christmas, Food, Illinois, Missouri, Photography, Poultry Dishes, Travel, Uncategorized

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Christmas in the Parks

My husband and I have been visiting our state parks here in Missouri, and state parks across the country for many years. They provide invigorating hikes, exciting wildlife viewing, and interesting and enlightening nature programs. We have also discovered that they are fun to visit as we travel to enjoy the Christmas season.

To escape the pressures of daily life,  to get away from the news, and to get a head start on our Christmas shopping, we recently traveled to Galena, Illinois. Galena is a small town in northwestern Illinois (you will find yourself only about 15 miles from the Wisconsin border).

The historic Main Street in Galena, with so, so many wonderful stores, full of so, so many wonderful items.
We stayed in the Hellman House Bed and Breakfast, built in 1895, atop of a hill providing us a beautiful view of the city.
For dining, there are so many options, and the Green Tavern on Main Street was one of our choices.

While enjoying our weekend in Galena, and in an attempt to get me out of the stores, Jim discovered that Galena is also home to the Ulysses S. Grant Home State Historic Site. The home was built in 1860, and presented to the Grant family in 1865 in gratitude for his service in the Civil War. The family lived in the home until Grant was elected President in 1868. After his election, he visited the home infrequently, but maintained it as his voting residency.

On the particular weekend of our visit, it was open for tours…and it was decorated for the Christmas season in the manner in which the Grants would have decorated while they lived in Galena.

The Ulysses S. Grant home in Galena, IL
A view of Galena from the front lawn of the Grant home.
The Christmas tree in the parlor of the Grant home…
and the rest of the parlor.
This was Grant’s favorite room in the house, his study/library.
Even the kitchen is decorated for Christmas.

This weekend, we again ventured out. This time we were on our way to Hermann, Missouri to visit the Deutschheim State Historic Site. Hermann is the center of Missouri’s wine country, and so we planned on visiting a couple of wineries, too.

Deutschheim State Historic Site was established to preserve the heritage of the German immigrants who moved to east-central Missouri between 1820 and 1860. They became the residents of a new town, Hermann, founded by the German Settlement Society of Philadelphia on 1,000 acres of farmland along the Missouri River. The crop these Germans introduced to the area was grapes, and the product they made was wine. When you visit Deutchheim, you will see some vines that are over one hundred years old, vines that helped establish the wine producing industry which is still expanding across the state. Wine is serious business in Missouri, and I can personally tell you that it is well worth your effort to experience some of our state’s great wines.

This particular weekend, Deutshheim was celebrating a Weihnachtsfest, or Christmas celebration. We toured one of the homes, decorated for Christmas, and enjoyed traditional cookies that would have been made for the Christmas celebrations of the German immigrants, including lebkuchen, chocolate lebkuchen, springerle, and pfeffernusse. They also had a display of springerle molds and rolling pins, and many of these were for sale in the gift shop. I am German from both sides of my family, and these Christmas traditions so reminded me of watching my grandmothers make springerle and lebkuchen. If I was not in the spirit before visiting Deutschheim, I certainly am in the Christmas spirit now.

Deutshheim State Historic Site in Hermann, MO
It felt like Christmas as soon as we arrived at the door.

One of my favorite scenes in the house was this Christmas tree, hung from the ceiling with wire. This method of putting up the tree not only saved space, it also kept little hands out of mischief.

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I also enjoyed the “real” Noble fir tree set up in the parlor. It is the type fir that was the inspiration for the “feather” trees so indicative of German Christmas tradition. It was decorated with traditional scherenschnitte ornaments (I am so German, I spelled that correctly on the first try!).

the Noble fir…look particularly at the top of the tree to see how it inspired the feather tree.
This display of feather trees is decorated with ornaments indicative of different eras in Hermann’s Christmas traditions. The first tree on the left has scherenschnitte ornaments that were cut in the 1940’s.

Other areas in the house were also ready for Christmas…

The kitchen is ready for the work of making the cookies of a German Christmas…
with the molds and rolling pins on display.

And then it was time for lunch and a visit to a couple of wineries…

We enjoyed lunch at the Vintage restaurant at Stonehill Winery. The restaurant serves authentic German food in portion sizes I remember my Dad enjoying!
Our favorite winery is just outside Hermann, Adam Puchta. We needed to stop here because a certain son-in-law who will be visiting from Minnesota loves their red table wine, Hunter’s Red…and so do we!

You can find out more about each of these sites we visited by visiting their websites. Galena has a visitor guide website at http://www.visitgalena.org. You can learn more about Deutschheim at https://mostateparks.com/park/deutschheim-state-historic-site.

I would encourage all of you to check out your own state parks and historic sites this Christmas season. You might be surprised at the magical Christmas events they have to offer. Merry Christmas to all…and to all, good traveling!

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Turkey with Lemon Garlic Sauce

This is one of the very best ways I have found to use some of that leftover turkey from the holidays. It is easy to make, does not take much time, and is perfect for those evenings when you are busy, want to get dinner on the table in less than an hour, but still want a special and delicious meal.

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 3 cloves finely chopped garlic
  • 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 2 1/2 c. turkey broth*
  • 1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 4 slices bacon, crisply fried and crumbled
  • 2 c. turkey, torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/2 c. half and half
  • 1/2-1 tsp. dried basil
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste

Directions

  1. Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the garlic. Saute over low heat for 3-4 minutes.
  2. Stir in the flour, cooking for 2 minutes.
  3. Whisk in the turkey broth, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and simmer on medium for 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add the bacon, turkey, dried basil, red pepper flakes, and the half and half. Simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, or until everything is warmed through.
  5. Serve over mashed potatoes or rice, either is great!

*I make my own turkey broth from the bones of the turkey. If you do not have turkey broth, chicken broth will do fine in this recipe.

 

Finding Your Park In Your Own Backyard #7…Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, Clydesdale Horses, and White Haven Rice Pudding

30 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by in Find Your Park, Missouri, Photography, Sweet Treats, Travel, Uncategorized

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U S Grant National Historic Site

Continuing our quest to visit national parks in our home state of Missouri, we head back to the eastern side of the state and the city of St. Louis. It is time to visit the home of one of our Presidents, and take a peak at the world famous Budweiser Clydesdale horses.

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White Haven

Ulysses S. Grant began his life of public service when he entered West Point Military Academy. Upon graduation, Grant was assigned to Jefferson Barracks Military Post in Lemay, Missouri, on the banks of the Mississippi river just south of St. Louis.

He had been invited by his roommate, Frederick Dent, to visit his family home, White Haven Plantation, in St. Louis. And so it happened that on one of these visits he met, and soon fell in love with Julia Dent, Frederick’s sister. They were married on August 22, 1884.

Following their marriage, Grant was assigned to many different posts throughout the country, and Julia followed him to most of them. But after all the moves, and all the wars, Ulysses and Julia decided to settle down and raise their family at White Haven. They moved to Galena, Illinois for a period of time, but in 1869, they purchased White Haven from Julia’s family. It was the home they loved, the home with so many sweet memories, the home they wished to live in for the rest of their lives. But, once again, service to the country intervened, and the Grant’s would spend eight years in the White House. During those eight years, Grant managed the plantation through staff he hired to handle its day to day operation.

When you visit White Haven today, you will tour the house with a guide. As you move through the rooms, the guide will share information about the Grants and their life on the plantation. The tour was very interesting, the guide very engaging, but I did wish they had had more period furnishing to “fill” the space to better reflect what life in this house would have looked like.

The study where Grant would conduct his business affairs.
A friendly game of checkers is set up in one of the rooms.
And the color…You might have expected White Haven to be, well…white. But after careful research and much careful scraping, historians has determined that the Grants had the house painted Paris Green with a darker green trim in 1874. This was a typical Victorian color combination. Research also verifies the color with the discovery of ledger sheets verifying the sale of the paint from a local store.

Behind the main house is a kitchen house which was built at the request of a cherished servant of the family. It has a kitchen and a wash room.

The kitchen house sits just back of the main house.
The kitchen
The washroom.

And a little further back on the property you will find a chicken house and an ice house.

The chicken house, in the foreground, alongside the ice house.

The chicken house, in the foreground, alongside the ice house.

When you first arrive at White Haven, you will enter the Visitor Center where you will decide how to visit this interesting place in American history. You will probably want to begin by watching the excellent film on Grant’s life, as a soldier, a husband, a father, and a man with the strong belief that all men should be free.

You will then decide if you will next want to tour the grounds with your guide, or visit the outstanding museum dedicated to Grant’s life, which is housed in the horse stable. Either way is fine.

Learn more about White Haven, and plan your own visit by visiting the website at http://www.nps.gov/ulsg/index.htm

The Clydesdales

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Adjacent to the Grant historical site is Grant’s Farm. Grant’s Farm was originally owned by the Dent family, then the Grant family, and now it is the property of the Busch family, of Anheuser-Busch fame. It is an animal reserve and park. It also has stables for the world famous Budweiser Clydesdale horses. The fifty or so Clydesdales residing at the Grant’s Farm stables range in age from six months to some that are fifteen years and older, and are retired.

While visiting Grant’s Farm you can purchase tickets to tour the Clydesdale facility…or you can do what we often do, which is stop and see them in their pastures from the bike trail that runs along the edge of the park.

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Visiting the Clydesdales while biking the trail adjacent to the park.

Hardscrabble, a house Grant built for his family on the Dent property, is also located in Grant’s Farm, and can be viewed on a tram ride through the park.

You can learn more about planning a visit to see the Clydesdales and Grant’s Farm at their website, http://www.grantsfarm.com/.

Enjoy the journey!

White Haven Rice Pudding with Lemon Sauce

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One of Ulysses S. Grant’s favorite foods in all the world was rice pudding. I played with several recipes I found, and came up with a version my husband and I really enjoy. I hope you will, too!

Rice Pudding

  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 3 c. hot cooked rice
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 2 c. half and half
  • 2 c. milk
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 c. slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Put the hot rice into a large bowl. Stir the butter into the hot rice.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks slightly, then mix in the half and half, milk, sugar, lemon peel, vanilla, and salt. Add this mixture to the rice and stir together thoroughly.

Beat the egg whites until they are stiff. Fold the stiff egg whites into the rice mixture. Top with the slivered almonds.

Pour mixture into a buttered, shallow 2 quart baking dish. Place the baking dish into a pan of hot water. Bake for one hour or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. This will make eight warm and delicious servings.

Lemon Sauce

  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1 c. boiling water
  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
  • 3 Tbsp. lemon juice

Mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually stir in the boiling water.

Cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the remainder of the ingredients. Serve over the rice pudding.

And yes, wild violets are edible, and they are delicious. I picked these from our back yard. It makes the dish look so pretty, even if you don’t want to eat them…my husband doesn’t like them much, and so just leaves them.

 

Finding My Way…

26 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by in Photography, Uncategorized, Weekly Photo Challenge

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State of Mind

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Over the past few months, my state of mind seems more and more influenced by the state of my country, and the state of our society. So…I go to the woods with my husband, and we walk and walk and walk for hours, and we hold hands, and we don’t often talk.

Looking back at many of the pictures I have taken over the last months, I am reminded how much these walks, the woods, the quiet, the thinking time, have served to change my state of mind, clearing my mind, making me a better person. On getting ready to leave the woods, I often say, “Can’t we just stay here”.

Finding Your Park In Your Own Backyard #5….Arrow Rock National Historic Landmark and “Sticky” Chicken

15 Friday Jan 2016

Posted by in Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, Photography, Poultry Dishes, Travel, Uncategorized

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  • Adventure 1-The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
  • Destination 5-Arrow Rock National Historic Landmark

As we enter the National Parks Anniversary year of 2016, we head out to our next stop on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail…part of our plan to visit every national park site in our home state of Missouri. Our destination is Arrow Rock National Historic Landmark.

As Lewis and Clark traveled through present day Saline County in June of 1804, on the Missouri River in what would become the state of Missouri, they noted that the area had many salt springs. In 1805, Nathan and Daniel Boone, sons of the famous frontiersman, Daniel Boone, set up salt production at these springs. The briny water from the springs was put into large iron boiling pots, and boiled in stone furnaces until the water evaporated, leaving salt crystals. The Boone brothers shipped this salt to St. Louis where it was needed for food preservation and for tanning leather.

This iron pot was used by the salt works at Boone's Lick. You can see it, learn more about the Boone brothers salt operation by visiting Boone's Lick State Historic Site.

This iron pot was used by the salt works at Boone’s Lick. You can see it, and learn more about the Boone brothers salt operation by visiting Boone’s Lick State Historic Site.

At the same time, the area saw many settlers arriving from the Upper South, the states of Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. As more people arrived, and settled permanently in the area, it became known as “Little Dixie”.

The path used by the brothers as they moved their salt east, and by the settlers traveling west from the Upper South became known as the Boone’s Lick Trail. As time went by, more and more settlers, moving further and further west, used the Boone’s Lick Trail after it joined the Santa Fe Trail from where it began in Old Franklin, MO. Settlers also used the Boone’s Lick Trail as they traveled from St. Louis to join other trails to the most western lands of the United States.

Arrow Rock National Historic Landmark

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Along the Boone’s Lick Trail, you will find the small town of Arrow Rock. Many years ago, before it was a town, the Missouria and Osage Indians used the flint from the cliff at Arrow Rock to make their arrow points, and it became known as Pierre a Fleche, the Rock of Arrows. When Lewis and Clark passed by the Rock of Arrows in 1804, they not only noticed the salt springs. They were also stuck with the suitability of the site as a western American settlement or a military fort.

William Clark passed by the Rock of Arrows again in 1808, as he traveled down the Missouri River to establish Fort Osage (Destination #4). George Sibley, the factor at Fort Osage, came and built a new trading post at Arrow Rock when he had to abandon Fort Osage during the War of 1812.

A ferry began to take travelers across the Missouri River in 1817, and in the 1820’s. Arrow Rock became the place where travelers on the Santa Fe Trail crossed the river. Before leaving, the settlers would fill their barrels with fresh, sweet water from the Big Spring on the edge of the settlement.

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Today, there is a small park at the Big Spring.

In 1829, the town of Arrow Rock was founded, the newest port on the river. Its population rose to as many as 1,000 people as more and more people from the Upper South settled in the area, establishing farms and plantations where they raised hemp and tobacco. They brought their slaves with them to Missouri to work in their fields. When the Civil War broke out, the majority of these “Little Dixie” residents, dependent on their slave labor, sided with the South.

Following the war, this once vibrant river town began to decline as the railroads took much of the business that had kept the riverboats along the Missouri River busy for so many years. The town suffered devastating fires in 1864, 1872, and 1901. People left Arrow Rock, looking for work in other parts of the state, in other parts of the country, and Arrow Rock fell upon very hard times.

In order to preserve this piece of Missouri and American heritage, Arrow Rock became Missouri’s first historic site in 1923. In 1963, it was named a National Historic Landmark. Today this small town receives over 100,000 visitors each year who come to enjoy the many activities it offers to the twenty-first century traveler.

George Caleb Bingham, the famous Missouri artist, had his home and studio in Arrow Rock. It is one of the popular places to visit in town. Another popular attraction is the Dr. Sappington Museum. Dr. Sappington developed quinine pills, used to treat malarial fever.

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The Dr. Sappington Museum in Arrow Rock.

One of the most popular stops in town is the J. Huston Tavern. This two-story brick building was built in 1834, and served as a hotel and restaurant for many years. It is, in fact, the oldest continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi River…and serves really good fried chicken. It is operated by the Missouri Division of State Parks.

The J. Huston Tavern has been serving delicious food longer than any other restaurant west of the Mississippi River. When the Civil War ended, plantation slaves moved into town to find work. They became the dock workers, the warehouse hands, and the construction workers in Arrow Rock. They built the stone gutters that ran along Main Street, and are still there, and functioning today.

The J. Huston Tavern has been serving delicious food longer than any other restaurant west of the Mississippi River.
When the Civil War ended, plantation slaves moved into town to find work. They became the dock workers, the warehouse hands, and the construction workers in Arrow Rock. They built the stone gutters, seen here in front of the tavern, that run along Main Street yet today.

The reconstructed courthouse
…and if you did not fare well at the courthouse, you might get to spend some time in this one cell stone jail.

Arrow Rock served as the county seat of Saline County from 1839 to 1840. You can visit a reconstructed courthouse from the era and learn about how justice was served at that time.

But my favorite place to visit in Arrow Rock is the Lyceum Theater, Missouri’s oldest repertory theater. It has been staging Broadway caliber plays since 1960 in an old Baptist Church building. The play season is from June through September, and people travel from all over the state to see a quality performance on a summer evening, eat a great meal, and maybe even stay the night in one of the bed and breakfast inns in the area.

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The Lyceum Theater

Arrow Rock National Historic Landmark is a gem tucked away along the Lewis and Clark Trail. There are hiking trails in the area, as well as a campground. It is truly worth a visit. You can plan you visit to Arrow Rock by visiting its website.

“Sticky” Chicken

I mentioned earlier that the J. Huston Tavern makes a delicious fried chicken dinner. Unfortunately, the last time we visited, the tavern was closed for the season. We stopped on our way at an historic inn that touted its own fried chicken. It was absolutely wonderful, and reminded me so much of the chicken my mom taught me to make. It is the chicken our children grew up on, and it is the chicken our youngest daughter named “Sticky” Chicken…the name has “stuck” ever since.

So I decided to share my recipe for our favorite family chicken…

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  • 3 1/2-4 lb. cut-up chicken
  • 3/4 c. flour
  • 1 T. salt
  • 1/4 t. pepper
  • 1/3 to 1/2 c. lard or vegetable shortening
  • 3 T. flour
  • chicken broth

Combine the 3/4 c. of flour, the salt, and the pepper in a gallon sized plastic bag.

Heat the 1/3 cup of lard or shortening over med-hi heat in a cast iron skillet. Shake the chicken pieces in the bag of flour to coat them completely, and brown them a few at a time in the skillet, until they are golden brown on both sides…about 6 to 8 minutes per side. As you brown the chicken, it may be necessary to add a little more lard.

Place the cover on the pan a bit off center, and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, and bake an additional 20 minutes or until the chicken registers 165 degrees at its thickest point.

To make the best gravy ever…

Remove the chicken to a plate and keep it warm. Gradually add the 3 T. of flour to the chicken drippings in the skillet over med-hi heat, stirring for about 2 minutes. Gradually add the chicken broth and cook until the gravy is the thickness you prefer…I use about 3 soup ladles full of broth.

Note…Nothing makes this chicken taste as good as it tastes when cooked in a cast iron skillet.

Enjoy!