Road signs

Let's just say  my kids are easily amused.  The two signs were taken for them.

Having just polished off countless goldfish and tossing them well.....

we'll leave that untyped this sign for Goldfish Farm Road sent them 

into hysterics.

I have to wonder.......was the road really named for the sign?

Strawberry Fields Forever

I told the kids to turn off the t.v. because we were going berry pickin'.  They weren't too happy with that concept.  But I washed the sand out of our buckets and we all piled in the car.  A few minutes later we arrived at the u-pick farm.  A short drive down the farm's dirt road and my car looked like this.

 Strawberry fields forever

 How do we know which berry to pick?

"I FOUND ONE!"

Dessert.

Thomas has never eaten a strawberry.  He's told me he doesn't like them.

Since he picked them, he decided to give them a try.

Funny, he likes them.

What to blog, what to blog?

What to blog?  Do I blog about food, waterfalls, day trips, strawberry pickin'?  Canning or home cooking?  Kids and pets?  In the great scheme of things who besides me is going to care?

Tonight's dinner consisted of meatloaf, Au grain potatoes and green beans.  If you had seen the expressions on the faces of my children you would have thought I was attempting to feed them worm tartare with a side of chicken livers.  They should be so lucky to have good food to turn their noes at. 

Today I was an evil mother because I turned off the t.v. and computer and  took them to the library to see the Reptile Man and an assortment of 18 reptiles.  My son got to have an alligator pet his head 2 years ago.  Today my daughter got to help hold a snake.  I was impressed by the young boy who let the Reptile Man wrap a king cobra around his neck. I hope that with all the whining and complaining that they never have any fun that someday, just maybe, they will look back on all the things I made them do during the summer and realize, Mom wasn't so bad after all.

Rose Petal Jelly

3 Cups water
Juice of 1 lemon (2 T)
2 C sugar
1 box pectin
2 C rose petals (white part removed) about 6 large  see note

Low pulse water and petals in a blender just to chop coarsely.

Pour into saucepan.

 Bring to a boil.  Turn off heat right away.  Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

Strain.

Where did all my color go?

Assemble all your ingredients if you haven't already.

 Return strained juice to pan.

Toss out strained petals.

 Add sugar, lemon juice and pectin.

The color comes back!

Turn on heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Boil 10 minutes or until mixture begins to set. ( You do not need a rapid boil that cannot be stirred down like traditional jelly.  Just a steady boil.)

I test by placing a plate in the freezer.  As the time nears I pour some jelly on the plate from a spoon.  

If it thickens like jelly it's ready.  You can also temperature test with a thermometer.

220 degrees is the jelling point..

Pour into jars and seal.

Process in a water bath for 10 minutes.

Rose Petal Jelly.

Spread on toast and enjoy.

In my experience the darker and more colorful the rose the tastier the jelly.   I have not had success with yellow or white roses.  Orange and red roses give the best flavor.  You may also combine colors. They color always goes away when strained but always comes back when lemon juice is added. 

Makes 2 -2.5 half pint jars.

Peanut Butter Cookies

These peanut butter cookies are made without flour.  They are pretty good and go together very quickly.  Serve warm with a glass of cold milk.

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Extra sugar for dipping fork tines in.

Mix ingredients together.

Roll into 24 balls.

Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Dip tines of fork in sugar and make criss cross pattern on top of cookie to flatten.

Bake for 8-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Let cool on pan.  (If you don't let cool on pan the cookies will crumble).

This is a versatile recipe.   You may substitute brown sugar for  white.  You may use 1/2 white and 1/2 brown.   Drop by teaspoonfuls with or without flattening.  You could also add some peanut butter chips or peanuts if desired. 

Serves 24

McDowell Creek Falls Park

Walking the loop around 4 falls will take you just over an hour with small children.  That's if you hike to the top of Royal  Terrace Falls.

Start at the parking lot with Lower McDowell Creek Falls.

Follow the path across the bridge and over the creek.  It will take you to the top of 

Royal Terrace Falls.

Continue on and cross the road.  You'll come to Majestic Falls.

The flow is pretty impressive in the spring.

In the fall you can walk up the creek bed.

The creek just below Majestic Falls.

Farther down the path and you'll come to Crystal Pool Falls.

You're almost done.  Cross the road and you're back at your car.

A short and easy hike.

If you want make the short trip to Cascadia State Park and see Lower Soda Creek Falls.

Just a half hour away.

Sullivan Creek and Henline Falls

Don't get me wrong, I like to hike.  I've done the Silver Falls loop, I've walked to the top of Multnomah Falls.  Sometimes, it's nice to have a fall literally right next to you on the road.  Take Sullivan Falls for instance.  It's not magnificent, it's not tall. But as you drive by you can roll down the window and have the mist from the fall spray you on your face.

A short drive down the road and a half an hour relatively short hike later you can reach Henline Falls. It was a typical spring day in Oregon.  Gray clouds filled the sky and the occasional, light sprinkle was almost non existent.  We filled out our wilderness pass (required Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day) and headed off the road onto the trail.  A few minutes into the hike the rain started to fall.  Thomas my lovely 9 year old son pauses, looks up at the clouds which are becoming more black than gray, and shouts with clenched fists, "Come on storm cloud, is that the best you got?"

Apparently,  Thomas didn't get the memo that says don't taunt storm clouds.  It's kind of like turning your back to the ocean. We continued on the trail, the rain continued to fall, and increased in volume and intensity.  By the time we reached the fall 30 minutes later everyone was soaked.  The rain was coming down so fast and hard, I wasn't able to get much of a photo as the camera was getting soaked.

It was so wet. I could barely see, and I completely forgot to look for the abandoned mine shaft near the falls.  I guess that gives me an excuse to go back.  I'll have to remember to take my flashlights.  They say you can't see more than a few feet into the mine.  Maybe, I'll leave the kids at home for that one. I don't want them to fall through the floor.

You can see the rain falling in the photo.

Weathered remains of the old waterwheel.

Waterfalls: My second love.

I love waterfalls.  I was in my 20's before I saw my first one.  I married a man form Oregon and he transplanted me to Salem from the concrete jungle of Southern California.  One day we were driving down the Silver Falls Highway in Silverton, Oregon and I saw North Falls from the road.  Needless to say, I was hooked.  In the last year I have drug my kids to about 50 falls.

Here are some of the views from the "Trail of 10 Falls" at Silver Falls State Park.

Upper North Falls 65'

North Falls 136'

Lower North Falls 30'

Double Falls 178'

Drake Falls 27'

Middle North Falls 106'

Winter Falls 134'

South Falls 177'

South Falls a little further down the trail.  I waited for what seemed like forever to get a shot without people on the trail, bridge, or behind the fall.

Lower South Falls 93'

Twin Falls 

Frenchie Falls

The unofficial 11th waterfall at Silver Falls State Park

This is a seasonal waterfall and I have never seen it with water until this year.  All that rain was good for something.

Bleeding Hearts on the Upper North Falls trail.

Dog Cookies

Have you ever considered making cookies for you four legged friend? 

My dog loves these cookies.  They are simple to make and honestly as I pull the pan out of the oven he will literally try to knock them off the hot cookie sheet. 

I can't say how many cookies the batch makes as it depends on the size of your cutter.  It makes 3-4 dozen dog bone size.  For the tiny doggies in my family I will roll them a little thinner and cut into small mini heart shapes.

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (white flour can be substituted).

3/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder

1 egg

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 beef or chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in

3/4 cup boiling water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2.  Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well combined.
3.  Knead dough for about 1 minute.
4.  On a floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.
5.  Cut out with dog bone cutter and place on greased cookie sheet.
6.  Bake for 30 minutes.
7.  Cool completely before feeding to pet or putting in jar.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/dog-cookies-108670#ixzz1QGK1p97y

This also makes a great gift in a jar.  Simply layer the dry ingredients, place lid on jar, cover lid with a circle of fabric, and tie a dog bone shaped cutter to the jar with the recipe. 

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies & Ice Cream Sandwiches

I won't post my age but I will say I've been making these cookies for a quarter century.  To say it that way makes me feel old.

That said these are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever eaten.  I like to use white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts to make white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.  Those take this to a completely new level.

I had a friend visiting with her 3 girls today and we made the ice cream sandwiches for dessert.  The kids loved them.

 
The batch makes a ton of cookies so only plan on making them if you want a bunch of cookies laying around.

• 1/2 C butter
• 1/2 margarine
• 1 C brown sugar
• 1 C granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1T milk
• 2 t vanilla
• 3 1/2 C flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1 C vegetable  oil ( see note)
• 1 C corn flakes
• 1 C quick oats
• 1 12 oz. package chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter, margarine, and sugars.  When smooth stir in the egg, milk and vanilla.
3. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Stir flour into c reamed mixture alternately with oil until mixture is combined. (I only use enough oil to mix).
5. Add corn flakes, oats and chocolate chips using enough oil to mix.
6. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden.  They bake up nicely at 11 1/2 minutes on a baking stone.

Note:  The recipe calls for one cup of oil.  It seems like a lot of oil to me so I have only used enough to mix in the flour.  I then use the oil to mix in the corn flakes, chips, and oats.  Typically I use 1/3-1/2 cup.

Cool on racks.

To make the ice cream sandwiches gather two similar sized cooled cookies.  Take a scoop of softened ice cream and sandwich between the bottoms of the two cookies.  Roll in chopped nuts, sprinkles, or candy if desired.  Flash freeze and wrap in plastic wrap to eat later.  If you don't flash freeze the toppings you roll into the ice cream will be pushed into the cookie when wrapping.  Doesn't hurt the taste, just doesn't look as pretty.

Sugar Cookies

I love these cookies.  Everyone who eats them loves them. What more can I say?

Saint Patrick's Day shamrocks.

We made Indiana Jones theme cookies for Thomas' 9th birthday.  I had trouble getting the brown a fedora brown.

Spring cookies for a friend.

The batch routinely makes 3-4 dozen depending on the size of the cutters.  Sadly, the batch tends to not last more than 24 hours.  These are simple and delicious. 

http://www.food.com/recipe/kittencals-buttery-cut-out-sugar-cookies-w-icing-that-hardens-261889

Cinnamon Rolls

I rarely use my bread maker.  That said two nights ago around 9 p.m. I decided to make cinnamon rolls.  Out came the bread maker.  I didn't want to knead dough at 10 p.m.

After the dough had risen and the timer went off I got to work.  Out came the cinnamon, sugar, and butter.

This is about 10 minutes into the rise.

Now it's time for the icing.  Cream cheese, sugar, butter,and vanilla.  Blended into perfection.

Perfection.

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup margarine, melted
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
•  
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
•  
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving. 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/clone-of-a-cinnabon/detail.aspx