Happy Thanksgiving

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Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. It's been a quiet day here on the North Coast of Ohio. Cathy has been in her sewing room most of the day. I did a little cleaning and a lot of cooking.

We munched our way through most of the day on lots of good things to eat. For Thanksgiving dinner we deviated from the norm and had a ham. We like a recipe by Serena Bass Ham with Mustard and Parsley Sauce. It uses a smoked ham (half a ham, actually) with a Marmalade Marinade and the above mentioned Mustard Sauce along side. Very yummy!

This is the ham after inserting whole cloves around the outside.

Here is the ham slathered with the Marmalade Marinade (orange marmalade, fresh ginger, garlic, Dijon mustard, brown sugar and fresh ground black pepper.) It caramelizes in the oven and makes particularly addictive little crusty bits.

The ham goes into the oven (with the now working repaired door latch) for a little over an hour. The ham is already cooked, we are just warming it up nicely.

The ham comes out of the oven and looks like this.

Wonderful smells going on here!

To complete our dinner we made Potatoes Dauphinois (a type of scalloped potato with Gruyere cheese) and fresh green beans tossed with basil, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and goat cheese.

Everything was wonderful. I hope your Thanksgiving was as much fun as ours!

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Oven Repair

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A couple months ago the latching mechanism on our oven broke and the oven door would not stay shut. That makes it hard to cook. I was able to solve the problem on a temporary basis by propping the door shut with a small board.

Although this method worked, it was a pain to put the board back in place each time you opened the oven door. So I went on line and ordered a replacement latch. Today I fixed the oven. Here's how.

After turning off the power I removed the oven door and then unscrewed the oven from the cabinet and pulled it out. I set it on some 2x4s so as not to damage the floor.

I had to remove part of the frame (the dark metal strip on the left) to get at the latch.

The metal brace came off after removing lots of screws. I arranged the screws on the floor in the same pattern they were located on the oven. Great system as long as no one kicks them out of place.

Now with the side of the oven pulled away I could get at the latch. Out came the oud broken latch.

The old latch and broken part are in the top of the photo and the new replacement latch is on the right.

After replacing the latch and reassembling the oven I gave it a good cleaning and got it all ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Total time for the repair, a little over three hours. It will be a pleasure cooking now that the door works!

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Dogs Rule

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Talk about Thanksgiving.

This video is a Hallmark type moment. It's of a soldier returning home to his dogs after 14 months in Iraq.


Woof! Those tails are gong a mile a minute!
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Establish A Perimeter

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Sunday, 8 PM EST, Jack is Back! Can't wait!

24 hours and counting.
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Muck Fichigan!

.Tomorrow is the great battle between Ohio State and that "team up North".














Go Buckeyes!

Ohio State is favored so lets hope it's a victory! They won't be in the National Championship game this year, but if you beat Michigan, it's a great year!

In case you need some fortitude for the game, here's a little bit of Woody Hayes.




Otherwise enjoy this.















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Grazing Day

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We have had snow on the ground since Monday and we are getting some more right now.  There is a Winter Storm Warning in effect with a Lake Effect Snow Warning attached to it.  Sounds somewhat ominous.  Luckily I am heading to bed and don't have to deal with it... at least till morning.

Here's what it looks like out our front window.



Not too bad.

Today was Grazing Day at work and there were lots of good things to eat.  I think we should do this more often, but if we did we could all pass for Macy's Thanksgiving Day ballons!

Here was the spread.  (At least before Chris got there with his Jello, which was peach flavored.)



All enjoyable.  I'm already looking forward to leftovers tomorrow.

Good night.
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Second Temporary Post

This a sample post using Windows Live Writer.

Always looking for a better way to blog

Lets try a photo,

Cool, seems to work. Now lets post.

Beef and Macaroni

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Beef and macaroni was one of my all time favorites during grade school and Jr High whilst I was growing up.

About six weeks ago I was hungry for this childhood favorite and it was my day to make dinner. I searched the web and found many versions. I settled on one I found on the Food Network by Paula Deen.

It was wonderful!

Just what I was looking for. Tonight I'm making it for the third time. Tomorrow is "Grazing Day" at work where everyone brings in food and we eat all day long (or so it seems.) I'm making this for sharing tomorrow. We'll enjoy some tonight, of course, but I'll take it to work tomorrow.

You'll find the recipe below. I have modified it from the original based on comments of others. The original is here.

This is just before adding the macaroni.



Then add the macaroni and stir it in.



After it's done it looks like this.



Very, very good. I think it will be a big hit tomorrow.

We serve it with sour cream on top and a side of cornbread. You can serve it tomorrow!

As promised, here's the recipe.

Bobby’s Goulash

2 pounds lean ground beef
2 large yellow onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups water
2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon House Seasoning, recipe follows

1/2 tablespoon seasoned salt
2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked

In a Dutch oven, sauté the ground beef over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Break up the meat while sautéing. Spoon off any grease.

Add the onions and garlic to the pot and sauté until they are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add 3 cups water, along with the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, House Seasoning, and seasoned salt. Stir well. Place a lid on the pot and allow this to cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the elbow macaroni, stir well, return the lid to the pot, and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves, and allow the mixture to sit about 30 minutes more before serving.

Serve with garlic bread and a salad.

House Seasoning: 1 cup salt
1/4 cup pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder Mix the ingredients together and store in an air-tight container for up to 6 months. Use as a seasoning on meat and when cooking vegetables.

Enjoy!
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Early Morning Fog

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A couple of weeks ago, before the snow started to fly, we had some early morning fog.  I went out and captured this photo looking at the field across the street.  The sun was slowly burning off the fog as the light was illuminating the trees.



The next photo is in the back yard and you can see a layer of fog a few feet above the ground among the blueberry bushes.  This fog layer moved up and down like water against the edge of a boat.



By the time I left for work, the fog was all gone.  It was pretty while it lasted.
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Ride To Work With Me

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It's Sunday evening and it's snowing outside for the second time this winter. The fall leaves with all their color are on the ground and covered with snow.

A couple of weeks ago on October 31th, Halloween, I decided to take my camera with me as I drove to and from work to record some of the fall color. I simply shoot through the front or side windows of the car.

Here's what I see on my way to work.



This is along I-90 a few miles down the road. Many of the leaves have fallen but there are still spots of color.




The sky is clear and brilliant and the leaves are very colorful along this stretch.



There are other colors along side the road in addition to the fall colors.




More of those "blue light specials" keeping the speed down.





I get to drive along the lake shore every day. It's often beautiful and goes by quickly.





The "Hi-level" bridge over the Cuyahoga River and through downtown Cleveland has been reduced to two lanes because the structure is deteriorating. Right now it is undergoing an inspection by the state. They plan to replace it in a few years but for now it's only at 50% capacity.




We just crossed over the Rocky River bridge heading West and the local law enforcement officers like to wait just over the crest of this hill. Make sure you are going the speed limit!




There he is. Making money for the city and keeping the roads safe.




Driving down the streets of Bay Village and almost to work. There are a lot of oak and maple trees that line this road and their colors are great.




This tree is right behind the studio (which it up ahead on the left.) Even though there is a big part of it cut away by the power company, it's still one of the most spectacular trees along my drive. It's been a 44 mile journey and I've arrived at work.




We are heading back home now in the evening. I'm crossing the Hi-Level bridge again in the opposite direction (of course) heading towards downtown Cleveland. That is the Cleveland skyline from my vantage.




This is my exit, almost home.




Finally on our street. It's Halloween evening and this just up the street from our house. A lone trick-or-treator is running from house to house. It's actually dusk right now, however, the camera records the scene as brighter than it really is.

I hope you've enjoyed this drive back and forth to work with me. I'll be making the trip again tomorrow if you want to ride along. Let me know.
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Bambi

A few weeks ago I looked out the side window and saw some deer next door in Tony and Martha's backyard. They munched and grazed for awhile then moved on. They are there often, however, I had my camera at hand that day.

Enjoy!














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New Test Post

This is a test post using the ScribeFire tool for blogging.  You can read about ScribeFire here.

Let's see how it did.

Test post of a photo at 600X400 pixels wide, re-sized in Photoshop and optimized for the web. (A previous test post of an image 800 pixels wide slid off to the right and you could not see the entire image. Testing the font sizing tool here!)



This photo was taken in the morning on October 12th in our front yard looking out to the street.  The tree across the street is simply gorgeous!

Here is one of our roses still blooming.  There were blooms on this rose up until the snow came on Monday.  (This photo is sized at 683X1024, so it is technically originally wider than the photo above.)



What do you think?  Did this post go OK?
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First Snow of the Season

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On Sunday morning I looked out the kitchen window and saw a chipmunk sitting on the hose caddy hanging off the front porch. He's hard to see, but notice the lack of snow!


















Here's a close-up of the cute guy. Again, no snow.

















As I went to bed Sunday evening it was raining lightly with a little snow mixed in. Forecast for Monday was also for a some snow mixed with rain.

Monday morning it looked like this...

















More than just a little snow mixed with some rain. Most of the trees have lost their leaves, but some still have some.

















It snowed about 4 inches or so here. Enough to really mess up traffic. The funny thing about this snow was how isolated it was. Once I was on the freeway heading to work and about 6 miles down the road, there was no snow on the ground! It was wet from some rain, but no snow!

In fact as I got to work and was driving down the a side street, some people were out raking up their leaves! It was dry. Our leaves were sitting under a fresh snowfall.

Today, the snow is still hanging around even though the temperature is 48 degrees. It is melting and all the roads are clear and dry but I can't rake my leaves today.

















Maybe I can get those leaves up next week. We'll see.

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Veterans Day 2008

Today is a very special day. It is a day to honor and remember and thank Veteran’s across our country and spread throughout the world. It is a day dedicated to all the men and women that have laid their lives on the line for this great country and the freedoms that we enjoy. This is the greatest country in the world, with more freedoms, opportunities and riches than anywhere else.

Both my older brothers, Charlie and Joe, as well as my younger brother Ray all served in the Navy. To each of them "Thank You".

After 22 years service in the Navy, Ray retired last year. He and his wife and sons visited while traveling from Japan to their new home in Florida and it was wonderful to see him after several years.

Here is a photo of my little brother.


























Thank You to all veterans, today and every day for your service.
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Happy Birthday United States Marine Corps

Click the link below for a great video from GoDaddy.

Happy 230th Birthday to the United States Marine Corps!
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Now I Am Wider

I know what you're thinking, and while it is true that I am a little bit wider now than this time last year,I was referring to the blog.

I always thought the original layout was too narrow and wanted a wider look. After searching the web for some time I posted my problem at BloggerForum and found the answer to my problem at The Blogger Guide. In fact if you want to see what I did, you can read about it here. Thanks to ids for your website.

Enjoy the new blog look and watch for new BIGGER pictures soon.

Shiver Me Timbers

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Trick or Treat Matey!

For Halloween yesterday, Uma was a Pirate!





















Very cute. I hope she got lots of booty from the neighbors. She is all set with a costume to wear on International Talk Like A Pirate Day next September 19th.

I didn't hear how the candy gathering adventure went, but I did hear the following:

A little pirate is trick or treatin' on Halloween. He is dressed as a pirate. At one house, a friendly man asks him, "Where are your buccaneers?" The little boy responds, "On either side o' me 'buccan' head!"

Ahhh the life of a Pirate.
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