Fair weather

I make a point not to count the days on my fair work. Someone at the door very early in the morning before anyone was there said "only 8 days left". Well, I never listen. I let my head just be in the moment. HOWEVER.......

When you get winter weather in August you begin to think counting days would be OK. We are freezing and wet in the barns and bleach boy has been fighting flooding in the 4H areas. So I hope for something better in the week. A bit of sunshine and warmth. Until then here are some photos of what has been going on.

Lets see this is day????????

It's the Evergreen Fairs 100Th birthday and our building was assigned to be 1908-1919. There are some fun events and decorations around our hall. This is a WWI poster the "great war"

Doesn't she look wonderful! As if she just stepped out of 1912.

This is Jean over with the bees.

The superintendents are in and out of period clothes they made themselves.

There was even a fashion show. I was the cleaning lady, a friend sewed me an apron of the time and with all my many layers of clothes on I put on the apron and joined in the fun.

We even had the Titanic ladies join us. We hopped in the boat with Molly and didn't go down with the ship!

Another big surprise was when Cascade, a price winning band, appeared outside my door. They filled this big open area of the fair. For about 30 minutes it was pure chaos and then suddenly everything was gone. For a moment it felt like we were at Tafts election rally in 1908.

Well I'm off to open the my barn and start another fun filled day of surprises at the Evergreen State Fair!

For you Georgia

We started celebrating! The first day of fair went perfect. Only a touch of rain. I met lots of very nice people and today hopefully will be the same.

I made this cake from Styrofoam and chemise and my sister Georgia made a whole box of ribbon roses and shipped them to be as fast as she could. I promised her some photos so here they are I hope you enjoy them

I was shocked at how very many people had to reach out to touch this fabric cake and see if it was real. It is providing some great amusement.

On a mommy note; when my kids were babies and children I learned to be a night person so I could sew. In the 70's we mostly sewed everything we needed to wear and I loved the quiet, uninterrupted night work. That served me again with this cake. It was a real pleasure to do this between the hours of 1am and 3am because I didn't have to stop a million times and redo what didn't work. It just fell together.

See you at the fair!

Happy Birthday son in law

This photo was taken in july on Cheryl's birthday. That's Chris's cousin and of course Miss Lilly (she is the one working so hard on teething)

Wow Chris another fair, another birthday.

I never forget Chris's birthday because it comes in August when I am setting up for fair. I like an easy way to remember things like this.

Chris is getting older but who could tell! He looks perfectly happy. We sure love having him in our family. He is so good to our daughter, that makes him extra special.

So

Happy Birthday Chris.

Hope it brought you some cake, hugs, cards and smiles

Grammie and papa

Happy Anniversary Lyndy and Jared

What a lovely wedding we had on a breezy August summer evening. Five years ago today, on a Friday too. These kids are made for each other. They started out young but they both have so much about them that is great I know this is just a start. Patience, a relationship takes love and patience's.

Hope you found something to celebrate, even with the little kids around, and that your evening reminded you of that lovely August.

Always cherish what you have

love ya!

it's that time of year!

This is how we start! Empty

This is how we work really hard!..........hehe

Up Up and AWAY

Can this be the Superintendants?

Look what she made!

All Finished and looking beautiful!

Come to the Evergreen State Fairs 100th year

Aug 21-Sept 1st

See you at the fair.....

Yes here we go...........It's up early and off to bed late! Fair Season has begun. I have a stack of really fun things sitting on my blog table but you will have to wait until fair starts and things calm down. Sorry I like that you check my blog and I don't want to loose you.

All the quilts and dresses, and purses are all judged and today we start arranging them in a way that they will look beautiful!

So from the photos above (taken a couple of years ago) you can see that we go from a big ugly barn to the amazing photo at the bottom..

See you all again after the 21'st. Once fair starts all I do is visit with everyone and just have a really good time! I'll have energy for blogs then.

Smiles

Grammie

summer salads

Click to enlarge ,p>These recipes will not be new to most of you. But at my point in time I forget that the ladies just getting started may not have collected all their mom's great recipes so here you go. Two favorites and a new one you may never have seen.

Every year I used to go to a wonderful spin-in (I am a spinner of fiber on a spinning wheel) in Stehekin. We'd stay at the Stehekin Valley Ranch and I really recommend it. Great food and a warm family stay! They know how to use everything in their cooking and shared the recipe for our favorite salad.

Corn bread Salad Stehekin style

8 servings

4 cups rougly curmbled corn bread (yesterdays left overs)

2 cups chicken (cut pea size) (opt.)

1 cup chopped green onions

1 cup chopped parsley

1 red bell pepper diced divided

1 orange bell pepper dived, divided

1/2 cup chopped sweet pickles

1 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup canned corn, rinsed and drained

1 cup mayo

1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teas. paprika

1 teas. salt

1 teas freshly ground black pepper

1 teas poultry seasoning (sage, etc)

1/4 Teas cayenne pepper

Bowl #1 combine:

Veggies (saving out 1/2 the peppers pickles, peas and corn for tossing on the top)

crumbled corn bread

Chicken if using

Bowl #2 combine

Mayo and spices, sugar

Mix the two bowls together and stir thoroughly.

Cover and chill 1 hours

Before serving

Toss on saved veggies this makes it look very pretty and ready to eat!

Saying Good-bye

This is Kallee last Christmas 19 years old

Yes I still have the note!

1990 At the Ferry dock heading for the San Juan's

That is my sister with the girls.

The camping trip we got Kallee on. The littlest girl in the red pants now has two children and will soon be 25 years old. Kallee was with us for so very long. Coming home with Kalee

The princess of our family has left us. She will be missed so much. We can't be too sad because she has lived a long happy life. She became ours in a most unusual way. We were camping with the kids in the San Juan islands. My sister had come from Los Angeles for a visit. We were having such a fun time. The girls befriended the camp ground cat. A young thing, very sweet and cuddly. Kitty knew to go from campsite to campsite to pick up food at meal times and in between she knew where the loving children were all camping and she visit those camps for love and play.

The day before we left a note appeared in the girls bathroom. You can see that note above. My family thought that was a perfectly clear invitation and talked to me with so much enthusiasm. I did what every smart mom should do I said "we'll talk to your dad". Soon the rules of acquisition were set. If the kitty was in our camp site when we got in the car to leave we would take her. No one was allowed to pre-urge kitty to our site. We would be too busy taking tents down and cleaning up.

The day to leave was tense. The girls eyed the bushes, they watch the road, but no sign of the campground kitty. Sadly everyone began to drag, slowly, themselves to the car. Phil and I feeling relief in the event. Suddenly out of no where kitty walked up to the car and began asking for attention. A note was put in the women's bathroom saying four adorable girls and a brother were taking the kitty home to the mainland. We named her after the ferry we went home in, the Kaleetan. The Kaleetan is named for a mountain peak northwest of Snoqualmie Pass. Our kitty was called Kallee.

She was our princess, sharing her time by sleeping on each bed of the household a couple of nights at a time. She'd trade off laps and let the younger girls dress her up in silly clothes. When she had kittens (not long after we got her) she made sure everyone was there to see them born. This morning when she passed away she made sure I was there to see her off. She was a loving cat who shared herself completely!

Good-bye Kallie (the spelling changed as time wore on) we hope the cat food in Heaven is the very best kind! No family could have a more lovable cat........ the note was correct!!

Post Script: Dear family your dad and I gave Kalee a loving burial. I sewed her a pretty white case with big red hearts all over it. We said a little prayer to ask that heaven give her a big welcome. Wish you all could have joined us but I know you were all here in spirit. Sorry to have to tell you this....mom...

a wonderful pasta!

Today I cleaned the fair building. Tomorrow I begin taking the quilts and wedding dresses and sewing items from everyone who enters in the fair. I got a call so I know we have at least one wedding dress being entered. I'm happy about those as they are the only thing I will judge. My sewing judge prefers I do them and It's so fun for me. If you sewed something, anything bring it down to building 500 at the Monroe fairgrounds between noon and 4 tomorrow or Sat from 9am to 4 pm. With the 100Th fair we have some really special fun happening that you don't want to miss!

So now for tonight's recipe. My good friend Carole makes this pasta and I can't get enough of it. I know it has a lot of ingredients but you can substitute. But just once you ought to have it Carole style

Pasta

2 cloves garlic, minced (Carole says use 3 or 4)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 pound chicken breasts, sliced or diced

1 1/2 cups of broccoli florets

3/4 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, cut them up (I make my own)

1 tsp basil fresh is best

1 1/4 cup white wine (Carole uses alcohol free) (I use apple juice)

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 Tablespoon butter

Bow Tie pasta one whole package, follow package directions to cook

pinch red pepper flakes

Cook chicken until white in the oil with minced garlic. Remove chicken when cooked and add broccoli to the pan, add tomatoes, basil, wine/substitute, red pepper flakes and butter. This is a wonderful collection, cook until broccoli still has firmness but is cooked. Add the cooked chicken back in and toss with cooked pasta. Top with Parmesan.

Carole likes to add some other things. rinse some capers and put those in with some Italian prosciutto, 4 or 5 paper thin slices cut up into little pieces, just use scissors and cut it over the simmering pan. This adds so much.

Mushrooms would be delicious too. So thank you ,Carole, everyone will love this good fast cool to fix dish!

cool chocolate treats!

Click on photo to enlarge

Oh my these are so cool and refreshing, keep them in the fridge!

Pulled out of a magazine long ago!

Curried Chicken Walnut salad

Ate this at a RS conference in the 70's. It was so good it's worth passing along. Great for a cool salad. I collected so many good recipes during my years living in Ukiah!

Curried Chicken Walnut salad

2 cup cubed cut chicken

2 cups well drained crushed pineapple

1 tablespoon vinegar

3 Tablespoons salad oil

1 teas. salt

3/4 teas. curry powder

2 cups cooked rice

Fold ingredients and Chill over night

Next day add:

1 cup diced celery

1/4 sup diced green or red peppers

3/4 cup broken walnuts

1/2 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise.

Stir and serve

Fried Rice

Youngest Daughter is making fried rice for dinner. Now doesn't that sound fast and cool, only a few moments over the stove. Here is my favorite recipe.

It comes from an HP book "Cookery for 1 or 2" by Barbara Swain it's dated 1978. The recipe has had a lot of use. I prefer to use day old rice. I think it works better when it is chilled first.

Some people like a teas. of sesame oil in the rice in the middle of cooking and broth can be used instead of the water.

Click to make larger and print

Notice how stained the page is? 1978 was before scanning and printing which I love! I scan my most used recipes and put them in a plastic sleeve and they look as good as new for each use. Some of my old recipes have missing ingredients due to spills! he he

Thanks Eden

You can thank daughter in law for the summer "hot" recipes. She was saying it was just too hot where she lives to turn the oven on and she inspired me to share the recipes I'll put on this week.

Smiles for Eden

Bumsteads

These little sandwiches are good hot or cold you choose. I learned to make these in high school but the recipe was around a lot in the 60's. Let me know if you like them.

Bumsteads

1/4 pound cheese grated

3 hard cooked eggs chopped

1 can tuna (tuna is so not the same now, use your favorite. I like something that flakes and looks like fish)

2 tbsp green peppers chopped

2 tablespoon green onion but use red onions for a change

2 tablespoons olives chopped

2 tablespoons sweet pickles chopped up (you can use dill if you like)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

6 hamburger buns

Mix up all the ingredients. fill the buns. You can heat in the microwave for just a minute and a half. Or in a 350 degree F. oven for 15 to 10 minutes. ( wrap in foil if heating in oven)

These are very tasty

Add a salad and you have dinner. If you made the no-bake cookies you even have dessert!

Cool to make cookies

At the Jr. high they were called mountain bars, some people call them No bake cookies, when I was in school they were boil cookies but they are all one and the same. Yes each has a little different twist. Sometimes we made mistakes and they don't work, sometimes they are perfect, anyway we will eat them.
I am giving you my original recipe, from high school. It works well but you must use the instant oatmeal. They now make a lot of different cooking rate oatmeal's. When this recipe came about it was original or instant so I think the 3 minutes or 5 minute would be good. This is what makes the cookie hold together. Regular oatmeal can be used it does make the recipe different.

Boiled (unbaked chocolate oatmeal cookies)

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
 1/2 cup butter (one cube)
 3 tablespoons cocoa
 pinch of salt
3 cups of quick oats
 1/2 cup coconut (Optional)
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
lay out a long strand of wax paper (put on a cookie sheet)

In a saucepan put butter, milk, sugar, cocoa, and salt. Heat on low heat until all ingredients are well mixed. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a full boil (lots of bubbling) Stir as this is happening, milk likes to burn. Boil for 1 minute. (some recipes say 3 minutes and if using another oatmeal other than instant do boil longer)

Remove from heat

Add vanilla and peanut butter. Stir in well

Add oatmeal and working quickly drop by rounded spoonfuls on the waxed paper.

Cool to set up and eat!

I will try to make some of these once my new refridgerator has been delivered and the kitchen is mine again!

Getting hotter shall we think cool food

One thing nice you get with heat is pretty sunsets.

My fridge has died. I knew this winter that it was the cool house keeping it at a safe temperature, but now with the heat it surely is dead! 20 degrees too warm for healthy eating. Remember the blog I wrote about picnic food? Keep cold food below 45 degrees F. Well for your refrigerator you need to keep it around 38 degrees F. We found, as we tested this week, that just opening the fridge for a moment will make the temperature go up nearly 5 degrees. Think what it does when you stand and search the fridge. Most often this is not a problem with a healthy fridge but ours could not recover from being opened.

This is a reminder that with the summer getting so warm you should turn your fridge dial so it is a bit cooler, so your opening it won't cause too much trouble.

Now eating in the summer is fun, it's fresh and we don't have to heat up the house to do it.

I remember the first home microwave ovens. With some practice you can make great food in one and not heat up the kitchen. So I'm going to give you some recipes from my microwave collection.

The other thing is cookies. Make them in a saucepan. Do you know about the boiled chocolate, oatmeal cookies? They go by many names but I will included that recipe for those who don't have a boiled cookie recipe.

And to top it all off salads are perfect for dinner meals. I'll even toss in some recipes for kids cool food. This will take a couple of days. It will give me something to type besides fair paperwork.

Check back each day and collect the recipes.

spaghetti squash in the microwave

I love this squash. It doesn't heat the kitchen at all to cook it this way! Use your favorite spaghetti sauce and it can be heated in the microwave too.

2 to 3 pound spaghetti squash (yellow fat, oblong looking) (easy to grow yourself!)

Wash the skin and pierce with a fork, better yet make some slits with a knife, I blew one of these up one time, not putting enough holes for the steam to get out.

Take a couple of paper towels and fold them place them in your microwave. Place the squash on the paper towels .

Now every microwave oven works differently but as a general rule start with about 5 to7 minutes per pound. If your oven doesn't have a tray that turns you will need to stop and turn it two times or so. If it starts hissing, poke it again!

It will get soft when it is cooked, add time as needed for cooking.

let it rest in the oven for 10 minutes, then you should be able to pick it up with a towel.

Cut it length wise. If cooked it should have long shreds very much like spaghetti. If not put it in for 1 minute at a time.

I take a fork and pull some thread into each persons place and load on the sauce and cheese. It's wonderful food. It reheats well and freezes nicely.

makes 6 servings.

Easy spaghetti sauce: If it's hot this is a good recipe but my favorite sauce requires long cooking on the store. Another time okay..

1 pound ground beef

1 can (15 oz') tomato sauce

1 pkg spaghetti sauce seasoning (1 1/2 ounces) I just toss in my own herbs

1/2 cup V-8, tomato juice or water if needed

1 can (4 1/2 ounces) mushrooms pieces with the liquid

1 can chopped ripe olives

1/2 cup instant chopped onions (or saute some fresh ones) a fast on and off the stove issue

grated Parmesan cheese

Put meat into a 2-1/2 quart casserole with a lid. Microwave 5 minutes uncovered, stirring twice to brake up the meat as it cooks. Pour off the fat carefully. Stir in seasoning, juice, mushrooms, olives and onions. Cover. Microwave 5 minutes stirring once or twice. Serve over that yummy squash above. Sprinkle with cheeses.

I have made this for my family a number of times without telling them it was squash.

This all comes from a choice cookbook, tiny in nature, called Microwave Cooking by nitty gritty productions. printed in 1976

My copy has lots of cooking stains on the pages. A sign of lots of use.

how about some questions?

Yes it's fair season.

I become one busy Fair Superintendent

And I love it!

What I need from all my readers is a sense of direction.

My thoughts are all on the tons of paper work I process at this time of year so help me out

Ask a question, request a recipe. Maybe you need some summer activities for kids, tell me some ages. Just point me in some direction as my brain is on auto pilot for the next month.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Did you get enough Berry stuff?

Smiles

The Grammie person

expecting #11 wow!

Grandchild that is.....