Friday, July 29, 2011

The Friday Dog Blog

Hello - Happy Hot Friday - Here's a hot dog, just for you....

Sofi the Talking Schnauzer is having a great vacation.  She's quite the athlete, and she's braving the heat to take a run by the beach.  She has to maintain that rock-hard ten-pound body, after all....

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Some Great Ideas For The Lowly Cucumber

Hello, hope you are having a great week!  Lots of us planted big gardens in the spring with high hopes, but for some of us the extreme heat has won out.  If you are lucky enough to have a bountiful crop of cucumbers, I have some ideas for you, thanks to my friend Barb, who facebooked them to me...  So, without further delay, here are some terrific ways to use your cukes....(More next week)

The humble cucumber is actually a little gem. And not just for its nutritional benefits...

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day

Just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon? Put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber

Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins and carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower?

Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror: it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds?

Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool?

Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes. The phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache?

Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body  has lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, and avoiding both a hangover and headache!

(Photo by anankkml)

 

Monday, July 25, 2011

The Monday Recipe Blog

It's going to be a great summer!  Here is a recipe to start your week....

This blog features Lois Elaine Mueller's recipes every Monday. Lois' heyday was in the 1950's and 1960's, and her children swear she was the best cook that ever lived. Many baby boomers will remember these mouth-watering recipes, and these dishes are just as tasty today as they were in the sixties.

We love one-pot meals in this fast-paced world of today, with our crockpots and microwaves, but one-pot meals existed in the 1960's as well.  Here is an example....

Lois Elaine's One Pot Meal:

1 pound ground beef
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
3 stlks chopped celery
6 or 8 potatoes, sliced
1 #2 size can of tomatoes

Do not pre-cook the ground beef.  Combine ingredients with a little salt and pepper and 1 c. water in a small roaster or baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the potatoes are done.

Friday, July 22, 2011

The Friday Dog Blog

Hello and happy hot Friday!  Here is a terrific dog, just for you!

Princess Leia, the 10 foot tall poodle from Poteau, is wondering if we are in the dog days of summer yet.  She kind of thinks we are....

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

It's HOT here in Oklahoma!!

Wow, this has been the hottest July I can remember.  It's like a blast furnace anytime you walk outside, with no end in sight.  Thank goodness for air conditioning - It's really too hot to do anything on the weekends except sit on the couch.

For those few who still claim that global climate change is a hoax, even after the extreme weather/earth events of the past few years, I can only say that I respectfully disagree.

I hear that this heat is encompassing the entire United States, even the "up north" states, where homes with air conditioning are not as prevalant.  We have the dog days of August to look forward to, and please, everyone, take heat precautions.

Wear light, loose clothing whenever possible, less is better.  Use sunscreen and never get far away from an air conditioned, cool area.  This is not the time for a 2 hour hike, away from civilization!  Sweating is good in extreme heat, not sweating is a sign that something is wrong and that you need to get cool very quickly.

Save the stenuous, outdoor activities for autumn and, in Oklahoma, even winter. 

A great way to cool off quickly when you come from outside is to wash your face, arms and legs with a washcloth soaked in cold water.

Stay safe, stay cool and remember that the heat will eventually end.

Monday, July 18, 2011

The Monday Recipe Blog

Hello and how is your Monday coming along?  Here is another tasty recipe to go with it.

This blog features Lois Elaine Mueller's recipes every Monday. Lois' heyday was in the 1950's and 1960's, and her children swear she was the best cook that ever lived. Many baby boomers will remember these mouth-watering recipes, and these dishes are just as tasty today as they were in the sixties.

This is a unique, 4 layer pie that can be either chocolate or lemon, your choice. 

Lois Elaine's Chocolate or Lemon Dessert:

Crust:
1 1/2 c. flour
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 c. chopped nuts

Mix and press in a 9x13" pan and bake 15 minutes at 375 degrees.  Cool.

2nd layer:
1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 of a large carton of Cool Whip or generic
Mix together and spread on crust.

3rd layer:
2 small pkgs instant chocolate or lemon pudding
3 c. milk
Whip 1 minute and spread on top.

4th layer:
Spread on the remaining Cool Whip. 

Refrigerate at least 6 hours.

Friday, July 15, 2011

The Friday Dog Blog

TGIF!!  And TG it's time for the Dog Blog again!

Here is a great dog substitute - Jim and Mary's beautiful Okie horse.  This is a feisty horse that likes to chew hair while it's still on the head - I know this from experience....

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Bring Back The Pickle-O's!

I was reading Territory Mom's great blog the other day ( http://oklahome.blogspot.com/)and ran across a post about the great Sonic food item Pickle-O's.  I decided to join her in a Bring Back The Pickle-O's plea....

Pickle-O's were popular in the 1970's at the Sonic drive-ins.  I first tasted one at the Purcell, Oklahoma Sonic and was immediately hooked.  I have eaten a lot of fried pickles since then, but none even half as tasty as Sonic's version.  Pickle-O's were around for, oh, about 15 years or so, I guess.  At the peak they were available at all Sonics, but then you could only find them at select Sonics, and now I don't think you could find a Sonic that still sells them.

Pickle-O's were about the size of a half-dollar - they were made from dill pickle slices, dipped in batter and fried to perfection.  They were great with a Sonic burger, and we didn't know at the time what we had....until it was gone.

I discovered Pickle-O's again around 1990 or so at the Coalgate Sonic, and my mother, aunt and I were in seventh heaven until they pulled the Pickle-O's off the menu.

Sonic, please bring back the Pickle-O's.  They are 10 times better than your onion rings, and your onion rings are exquisite.  People will love them again!  It's a hot summer - please give us a little relief and reward us with Pickle-O's....

Monday, July 11, 2011

The Monday Recipe Blog

It's another wonderful Monday!  Time for another wonderful recipe!

This blog features Lois Elaine Mueller's recipes every Monday. Lois' heyday was in the 1950's and 1960's, and her children swear she was the best cook that ever lived. Many baby boomers will remember these mouth-watering recipes, and these dishes are just as tasty today as they were in the sixties.

People were in love with dates during the 1950's and '60's.  By dates I mean those big, tasty, prune-type things that often appeared in Christmas fruit cakes.  Dates are actually very healthy for you, and this is a good way to make your cookies a little better for you and your family. I haven't made these cookies, but I plan to - they sound great!

Lois Elaine's Date Pinwheel Cookies:

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. light-brown sugar, packed
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1 egg
2 c. sifted flour
dash of salt
1/4 t. baking soda
7 1/4 oz. pkg pitted dates
1 c. chopped nuts

Filling:  Cut dates in small pieces and bring to a boil with 1/4 c. of the white sugar, a dash of salt and 1/3 c. water. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often, then add the nuts and cool.

Cream the butter, add brown sugar, the 1/2 c. white sugar, vanilla and egg. Beat well. Add the dry ingredients and chill.  Halve the dough; roll each half on floured wax paper, into a 9x12" rectangle. Spread with filling, roll up tightly from the end.  Wrap in the wax paper. Chill overnight. Slice 1/8 inch thick and bake on a lightly greased baking sheet at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Friday, July 8, 2011

The Friday Dog Blog

Hello - hope your Friday is nice and cool!  Here's a cool dog....

Sofi the Talking Schnauzer isn't talking right now, and that's really not her tongue.  It's her beloved rawhide chewie, and it's getting plenty of her attention.  Yuck....

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

The Legend of the Cherokee Rose

An area of present-state Oklahoma was the final destination for the Cherokee tribe after they were forced from their home in the Eastern United States because the settlers and speculators wanted the gold and other natural resources in their mountains.

I love visiting Tahlequah because of its rich history and the citizens' love of this history.  There are double street signs in Tahlequah - one in English and one in Cherokee.  The Cherokee History Center there is a must-see for visitors to Eastern Oklahoma. Walk in the woods near Tahlequah and you can literally feel the spirits around you (or it may be the Little People...But that's a story for later)....

Oklahomans as a lot aren't terribly fond of President Andrew Jackson and his minions, and although we love Tahlequah and our Cherokee, we are a bit sensitive over the subject of the Trail of Tears.  What was done to the Cherokee people around 1830 was nothing short of a death march sanctioned by our own government. The fact that the Cherokee flourished and prospered in Tahlequah and the surrounding area is a credit to the Cherokee people, and should never be used to diminish the travesty that was done to them at the hands of the greedy.

There are two great legends associated with the grief experienced on the Trail of Tears.  One is the legend of the Rose Rock.  The other, featured here today, is the legend of the Cherokee Rose.  Credit for compiling and editing this story goes to Kathy Weiser of http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ .   Visit this great website for more beautiful legends and stories of our past.

The Legend of the Cherokee Rose (nu na hi du na tlo hi lu i)

More than 175 years ago, gold was discovered in the mountains of North Carolina and Georgia and as thousands of new settlers invaded the area, it spawned tensions with the American Indian tribes. As a result, President Andrew Jackson established the Indian Removal Policy in 1830, which forced the Cherokee Nation to give up its lands east of the Mississippi River and migrate to Indian Territory (now present day Oklahoma.)

The forced march, which began in 1838, was called the "Trail of Tears," because over 4,000 of the 15,000 Indians died of hunger, disease, cold, and exhaustion. In the Cherokee language, the event is called Nunna daul Tsuny -- "the trail where they cried."

Along the way, the Cherokee mothers cried and the elders prayed for a sign that would lift their spirits to give them strength. One night along the trail, the old men spent in the evening in powerful prayer, asking the Great One to help them with their suffering and save the children to rebuild the Cherokee Nation.

The Great One responded to the elders by saying: "Yes, I have seen the sorrows of the women and I can help them to keep their strength to help the children. Tell the women in the morning to look back where their tears have fallen to the ground. I will cause to grow quickly a plant, which will grow up and up and fall back down to touch the ground where another stem will begin to grow.

The next day when the Cherokee continued their journey, the elders advised the mothers to look behind them. In each place where the mothers' tears fell, a beautiful white rose began to grow. As the women watched the beautiful blossoms form, they forgot to cry and felt strong. By the afternoon they saw many white blossoms as far as they could see.

Its rose's gold center is said to represent the gold taken from the Cherokee lands, and its seven leaves on each stem signifies the seven Cherokee clans. Today, the wild Cherokee Rose can be found all along the Trail of Tears from North Carolina to Oklahoma.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Happy Independence Day, Everyone!!

Hope you are having a wonderful holiday!  If it's not too hot, do some grilling today - Look back at the Monday Recipe Blog during the late summer/early fall of 2010 for some terrific grilling recipes.  There will be another Lois Elaine recipe right here next Monday!

Friday, July 1, 2011

The Friday Dog Blog

It's Friday, so it's time for the Dog Blog once again.

Tery and Barb's terrier Max the Magnificent works hard and plays hard.  He also eats a lot of ice cream....