Captured Moments

It had just quit raining, and we were headed for the edge of the storm...  toward the setting sun, just blazing between the storm clouds and the horizon.  I love this picture - the sun as it's setting, the open road, and the remnants of a storm passing.

This picture seems to mimic my life over the last year...  For me personally, there's been sadness and loss, and joy from good memories and friends.  Hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, and accidents -- none of which have taken anything from me, but some of which have caused clouds and rain in my heart and mind.  There's been lot of busy-ness of various kinds, and yet the road stretches empty, toward the sun, beckoning toward joy, life, light. 

"Fortify yourself with contentment, for this is an impregnable fortress." -- Epictetus

I think for myself, I could replace "contentment" with "thankfulness."

How often do we stop and appreciate - where we are, what we've made it through, and best of all, what's ahead?

Journeys

So...  where does the road go?

Since we were on the way to a funeral, thinking about our journey through life has been on my mind.

Here's another question...  "Where will you be when you get where you're going?"  The late Jerry Clower asked that question in one of his stories...  but when you quit laughing about his experience that went along with the question, it's quite a thought.  Maybe it is time for some spring cleaning in my "habits closet."  The ones I'm using every day might be taking me step by step down a road that ends up somewhere I don't want to go. 

Are you lost yet?  :-)

Happy Trails!

What do you see?

So, after hurricane-force winds and blinding snow...  what's next? 

How 'bout a plain ol' sunset?  (It's sure a lot easier drivin' than the other two)

Not too much "plain" about this one, though. 



Why is it that natural beauty reminds us of all that there is to be thankful for in every aspect of our lives? 

From a little earlier in the day....

What do you see in these clouds?

I see a smiley face!  Can you find it?

Happy Trails...



Whiteout

Nope, not the stuff in the little bottle.

We started out this morning to see family a few hours east of here, at Point B.  About 80 miles out, we ran into snow...  not accumulating, just blowing enough that visibility wasn't great.  About 10 miles later, we called the folks at Point B to say -- we're going home and we'll try again another time. 

Here's some video of a genu-ine western blizzard with occasional whiteout conditions. 

It took us 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to where we turned around.  It took almost 2 hours to get back home.

The visibility went from bad:

See this video at YouTube (it is bigger there!)

to absolutely horrid: 

See this video at YouTube (it is bigger there!)

Interstate driving was almost as bad, probably worse in ways, with more traffic and slushy overpasses.  

 

We followed a semi for quite a ways...  he was nice enough to warn us about some vehicles on the side of the road on a bridge -- so we could get around them.  Hope he gets somewhere safe and warm today.  The hills and trees look kinda eerie comin' out of the snow and fog, don't they? 

See this video at YouTube (it is bigger there!)

Well, even the sign will tell ya:  "Next stop, SNOW!"

See this video at YouTube (it is bigger there!)

It's a few hours early, but Happy New Year!



Avocado salad

I started some seeds 1 week ago.  I have been carefully checking them all week.  Last night, nothing.  This morning - 4 baby tomato plants!  Just thinkin' about summer and warm, juicy tomatoes makes me hungry - and slightly jealous of my brother and his Southern garden that's growing already while we're still having hard frosts!

So, with high hopes of homegrown tomatoes later this summer - here's a recipe for a yummy salad!

Avocado Salad:

     1 can black beans, drained
     1 c. fresh tomato, cubed
     1 c. fresh avocado, cubed
     vinaigrette dressing, to taste (optional)

Stir all the ingredients together and serve!  I like this salad best when it's chilled.  I prefer salt and pepper to vinaigrette dressing, also.  And if you rinse your canned black beans, your salad might be prettier than mine - the black bean juice gets all over the avocado. 

This salad is great but doesn't store very well for more than a day or two in the fridge.  If I'm not going to use it all right away, I keep the ingredients separate and mix them when it's time to eat.

Enjoy!

What's Blowin' in the Wind?

The answer is...
Couches.
Yep, couches.




This upside down couch leaning against the fence used to sit next to a building 60 ft away on the OTHER side of the railroad tracks (where I am).

 

And 18-wheeler trailers, dirt, and anything else light enough to blow to the next county in 70 mph winds.



Yep, 70+ mph winds...  see, I wasn't kidding!




Now for the tractor trailer wrecks...  this 5 mile stretch of interstate can look like a trailer graveyard.  We passed 4 trailers blown off the road within 5 miles today. 



That's a refridgerated semi trailer dead center in the picture (and in the interstate median).  The windsock is at it's normal condition....  straight out. 


There were all kinds of flashing lights around this one as we drove past... the towing folks are earning their paychecks today.
 


This guy's trailer went off the side of the road and took out the guard rail too.


This last trailer picture is double trouble...  a semi trailer on the right and an enclosed pickup trailer on the left (the bent reflector post points to it nicely).  I think we saw this pickup headed in the opposite direction on our way down...  we both commented that we hoped he had plenty of weight in his trailer.  Guess not.

And just to show you where Nebraska gets all its fine soil....




Kinda makes the Dust Bowl a little more real.

  I didn't think too much about wind till I moved to this part of the country...  other than the odd tornado or hurricane, the worst we got where I grew up was a 30-mph thunderstorm.

Things are different here... here's what 30 - 40 mph winds do after we've had a few inches of snow:



Can you find the road?



Nature's art



Locally know as a whiteout...  and this one is not too bad.




Looking over the rim.



Dunno about findin' "answers" in the wind, but keep a firm hand on your hat and your pickup door till it quiets down out there!

Update: Allergen free "pumpkin" bread with sweet potatoes

Well, a while ago I posted the recipe for Pumpkin Bread, gluten free and low sugar.   In that post, I mentioned that you can substitute mashed sweet potatoes for the pumpkin in the recipe, and the bread turns out even better!  However, there's a bit of a caveat to that substitution that I'll share in this post.  The previous pumpkin bread recipe works great for fresh or frozen pumpkin - in other words, kinda watery!  If you use canned pumpkin or mashed sweet potatoes with a liquid content that is considerably less... the recipe needs extra moisture to turn out right.  I'll note that in the other recipe as well as a heads up.  Meanwhile, here's the original link: 
http://tuckaluckyridge.blogspot.com/2010/12/allergen-free-pumpkin-bread.html

and here's the "new and improved" recipe.  Note that I used a mixture of flours...  because I ran out of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour Mixture, which I usually use!

Ingredients:
     4 c. Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour Mix
    3 tsp. cinnamon
    1 tsp. ginger
    1/8 tsp. cloves
    1/8 tsp. nutmeg
    4 tbsp. baking powder
    1 tsp. baking soda
    2 tsp. salt
    1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
    4 eggs
    1 1/2 c. milk or rice milk
    3 c. cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
    2 tbsp. vegetable or grapeseed oil
    1/3 c. honey
    3 tbsp. molasses
    1/2 c. coconut (optional) (thanks, Mo!)
    1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
    1 1/4 c. chocolate chips (optional)

Mix liquid ingredients with pumpkin in large mixing bowl.  Stir together dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Then add the dry to the wet ingredients and stir until moistened.  Then add the optional ingredients (chocolate chips, nuts, etc).  Scrape 1/2 of batter into each of 2 greased, glass 9"x13" baking dishes, bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until toothpick comes out almost clean and sides are pulling away from the baking dish.  Don't forget that the glass dish will continue to bake the bread even after you take it out of the oven....  that's a reminder I'm hoping I'll read on my mental sticky note before I make this again!  :-)

Note 1:  The coconut, walnuts, and chocolate chips are all optional....  but yummy additions to this recipe.  The coconut suggestion came from a friend, Mo, and it really adds texture to this scrumptious snack. 

Note 2:  Yep, I freeze at least 1 of these pans of bread.  They'll only keep about 4-5 days without molding unless refrigerated (about 6-10, then) and when refrigerated, they have a tendency to dry out.  So freezing is great for my small household.

Note 3:  I mentioned I ran out of Bob's Red Mill GF flour mix the last time I made this recipe...  so here's my improvisation.  It worked just fine!
Instead of 4 c. of BRM GF flour mix, I used:
   2 1/4 c. Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free flour mix
   1 1/4 c. + 3 tbsp. buckwheat flour
   1/4 c. tapioca starch
   2 tbsp. arrowroot starch

New Year Meandering of Thoughts

There's just something about flowers...  the first blooms in the spring remind me of the color and growth and warmth that is coming -- kind of a reward for waiting through the winter.  The spring, summer and fall blooms in their beauty are treats to soak up while there's time before snow and chilly days take their place. 

But flowers in winter are a special treat.  They go so quickly, but they remind me that there's joy in unexpected places, and to savor every moment because even life itself is so brief. 

Happy New Year!

Allergen Free Pumpkin Bread

The main recipe is gluten and dairy free, and is low sugar.  There's (as always) some variations listed also.  I make this recipe in 2 9x13 glass baking dishes, then freeze some for later. 

Ingredients:
    4 c. Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour Mix
    3 tsp. cinnamon
    1 tsp. ginger
    1/4 tsp. nutmeg
    1/8 tsp. cloves
    4 tsp. baking powder
    1 tsp. baking soda
    2 tsp. salt
    1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
    3 c. cooked, mashed pumpkin
    4 eggs
    1 c. rice milk
    2 tbsp. vegetable oil
    1/3 c. honey
    3 tbsp. molasses

Mix liquid ingredients with pumpkin in large mixing bowl.  Stir together dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Then add the dry to the wet ingredients and stir until moistened.  Pour half of batter into each greased 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350° for 30-55 minutes, until toothpick comes out almost clean.

NOTE:  This recipe is for fresh or frozen (in other words, high liquid content) pumpkin.  For canned pumpkin, increase the milk or rice milk by 1/2 c.  You can substitute cooked, mashed sweet potatoes for the pumpkin in this recipe - it turns out even better! Again, add 1/2 c. liquid to the recipe, with milk or rice milk.  That's the alteration noted in the update....  UPDATE:  It takes a slight alteration of the recipe to make it with sweet potatoes...  here's the post:  http://tuckaluckyridge.blogspot.com/2011/01/update-allergen-free-pumpkin-bread-with.html

Variation:  you can add 1 c. chocolate chips or 1 c. chopped walnuts...  or both, to make this really yummy!

Update: Gluten Free Sweet Potato Pancakes... or Waffles!

Well, I've got some new experience with these yummy pancakes that I thought I'd share.  In the past couple months, I've tried the original recipe with two different brands gluten free pancake mix (besides Pamela's, which I usually use) and made waffles as well as pancakes with one of them.  And had a little fun with it besides!

I've found the original recipe works pretty good for the Arrowhead Mills GF Pancake Mix, although adding 1 Tbsp of honey or agave to the liquid ingredients works well.  Waffles with this pancake mix turn out well, too.  For Bob's Red Mill GF Pancake Mix, I had to use more rice milk by about 1.5 times (3/4 c. for 1 recipe) what I usually use, and could have added another quarter cup - using 1 c. rice milk for 1 recipe batch of pancakes.  The added liquid makes more pancakes from one batch, but I really don't prefer this mix. I'll list the waffle recipe below, as well as the link to the original recipe, which uses Pamela's Gluten Free Baking and Pancake Mix. 

First, the Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free Pancake Mix waffle recipe:
     Ingredients:
         2 c. mix
         1 tsp. cinnamon
         2 eggs
         4 tbsp. vegetable oil
         3 tbsp. honey or agave (or sugar)
         2/3 c. mashed, cooked sweet potato
         3/4 c. + 2 tbsp. milk
         1 tsp. vanilla
     Separate the eggs and whip the whites until peaks form.  Add the other liquid ingredients, including the sweet potato, to the eggs yolks and mix.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.  Fold in the eggs whites and cook in your waffle iron, using the instructions.

Note:  these were yummy, but pretty heavy.  You could try adding baking powder or reducing the mix by 1/4 c. to see if that helps lighten them up a little.

Rainbow

Vermillion Cliffs, Arizona...  one of those moments that makes you appreciate being alive...  or it works that way for me, anyway.  We were 700 miles into a 1200 mile trip, and had started off the morning in chilly, misty rain.  We left town on a two-lane road, headed into a canyon, and started up the side of the mountain...  into 6 inches of that slippery white stuff (SNOW) -- yikes!  30 white-knuckled miles later we descended in elevation back to the rain level.  All morning, it rained off and on, and the clouds stayed as thick as peanut butter.  Finally, it began to clear and as we topped the hill, this was our first view of the cliffs.  We wound down into the valley and got to look at them closer as we drove alongside, but this first view was the most spectacular.  What a great beginning to a Thanksgiving trip to see family -- with a reminder from nature of all that we have to be thankful for.

Sunrise pictures

The "picture of the week" has been delayed for a bit...  haven't had time to take any pictures lately!  Until this morning...  we had a sunrise that makes you smile just to be alive and awake and here to enjoy the colors and the light and the crisp fall air.  And since I've gotten behind on the pictures, here's two for this morning! 

Traditional pink sky

Tree bark art:  In the mornings, the light is just right to show the patterns of time creeping up the tree...  just like they do on all of us!

Beemer Family History: Johann H. Dickhaut (1754 - 1804)

One of my best memories as a teenager is when my grandma handed me a bunch of papers and said, "Well, here's the history of our family.  It's your turn to take care of it and add to it."  From that point, I've been interested, not just in the names and dates, but the stories that make up richness of the history of our families.  I've collected so much information, stories, copies of pictures, and background information that I can bore the poor soul who asks, "What was great-great grandma's name?" to death with 7 hours of commentary.  Posting some of the information and stories seems like a good way to share these things in small bits, and if you're interested, you can ask for the whole story!

So we'll start with a thumbnail sketch of the generation that goes back the furthest on the Beemer family tree that's posted on the Family History page.  This information comes from an article written by Johannes Helmut Merz, a Hessian soldier scholar and author.  The link to the article is below.

Johann H. "Henry" Dickhaut was born in 1754 in Hesse-Hanau, a province in what would become Germany.  He became a Hessian soldier in the Revolutionary War, was wounded, captured, escaped, and became a schoolteacher.  He married Anna Catherina Teigert on August 16, 1778.  After some time in New York and then Phildelphia, he heard about land being granted in Canada to soldiers who had fought for the British a few years before.  He applied for and received a 500 acre grant and moved his family to Ontario in 1797.  His daughter, Elizabeth, was born in Philadelphia in 1783.  Elizabeth's daughter, Esther, eventually married into the Beemer family, marrying Judson Beemer in 1863 in Lee County, Illinois.  Henry died in 1804 at the age of 50, according to a sworn statement from his daughter several years later.

Read the whole article here:
A Hessian Soldier's Odyssey - Henrich Dickhaut from Dudenhofen by Johannes Helmut Merz

Gluten Free Baked Apples

This is one of my favorite gluten free desserts.  There's (of course) several ways I make it, depending on what works at the time.  This small recipe is great for 2 people, 1 serving each.  Multiply the recipe for more folks or to have leftovers.

Ingredients:
     1 thin-sliced apple
     sprinkle of cinnamon
     1-2 Tbsp. agave nectar or honey
     VERY small pinch of cloves (about 5-10 grains in the palm of my hand that I brush into the mixture)
    
Mix the ingredients together. 

For stovetop cooking, add 1 Tbsp of butter or oil to the mixture.  Simmer in small sauce pan or skillet until apples are soft and sauce is starting to thicken (20-25 minutes or so). 

For oven or toaster oven baking, add 1/2 c. water to the mixture and put in a greased glass dish.  Add 1 Tbsp. butter if desired.  Bake apples at 350°F for 30 minutes or until soft.  Stir occasionally to keep the top apples from drying out.

A yummy twist:  I had boiled cranberries for the juice and strained the berries out...  I added the strained-out berry mush to a 6-apple batch of these baked apples.  It turned out to be a great mixture!

Picture of the Week, 10-17-2010

One of my other favorite hobbies is taking pictures...  so we'll take a break from recipes sometimes and do pictures instead.  This picture was taken on a rainy afternoon a few days ago.  Just the fact that we still have roses blooming in October is amazing - the raindrops give this peace rose a special beauty.  I'd like to work on noticing more of the small beauties in my life, whether visual or otherwise. 

Gluten Free Banana Bread

This recipe has taken a while to perfect, but is one of my favorites!  I make "banana bread squares" rather than loaves.  It works great here at 4700 ft, but it may take some adjustment at other altitudes.

Ingredients:
    5 bananas, mashed
    7/8 c. honey
    2 Tbsp molasses
    3/4 c. melted butter
    3 eggs
    3/4 c. rice milk
    1-1/2 tsp. tsp vanilla
    3-3/4 c. flour -- I use Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
    1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
    1-1/2 tsp. salt
    1 tsp. xanthan gum
    1 c. walnuts (optional)
    1 c. chocolate chips (optional)

Heat oven to 350°F.  Move racks so tops of pans are in the center of the oven.  Grease bottom only of 2 - 9"x13" baking dishes - I use glass.  Mix butter, eggs, rice milk, bananas, vanilla, honey, and molasses.  Stir together the flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt in a separate bowl.  Mix the dry ingredients in the wet until just moist, then stir in nuts and chocolate chips.  Pour 1/2 the mixture into each baking dish and bake 22-25 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.  Cool on rack in the glass dishes for 1-2 hours.  Cover tightly to store. 

Note 1:  To measure the honey and molasses -- I usually spray my measuring cup with cooking spray, then measure the 7/8 c. honey, then add molasses until the total measures 1 c.

Note 2:  Another option is to add 1/2 c. chopped cherries instead of 1/2 c. of the chocolate chips.  I haven't tried substituting all cherries instead of chocolate chips, but I'm sure it would work.

Note 3:  I usually freeze most of what this recipe makes and pull it out a little at a time.  If you cut both 9"x13" pans into thirds, "width-ways," then wrap each piece in wax paper and freeze in gallon-size freezer bags.  Then you can pull out a little at a time.  

Fried Green Tomatoes

Well, if you read the Garden page, you'll know I agreed to try them.  Today's the day you and I both found out I LIKE them!!  No kiddin'!  So, my honey was right about salsa and scrambled eggs (yep, that's yummy also), and right about fried green tomatoes, too.  Here's how I fixed them:

Ingredients:
     2 c. Sliced green tomatoes
     2-3 Tbsp. cooking oil (I use grapeseed oil)
     Seasoning salt
     Black pepper

Pretty simple to do -- just put the oil in the skillet, add the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Fry over medium heat until brown on both sides.  We like them almost slightly crunchy.  Tonight I fried a small yellow squash, sliced, with the tomatoes.  It turned out yummy, and I'm convinced!

Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Sauce

This recipe is great for chicken stir fry, awesome with shrimp or scallop stir fry, and mouth-watering with grilled fish (tilapia or salmon).  I make several variations of this, so I'll give you the main recipe, my favorite alternate recipe, and a couple ideas for experimenting.


Ingredients:
     1/3 c. pineapple juice
     1/3 c. red wine vinegar
     1/3 c. brown sugar
     1/8 - 1/4 tsp seasoning salt or table salt, depending on your taste
     1/4 tsp powdered ginger
     1/4 tsp garlic
     1 tsp. arrowroot powder mixed in 1-3 Tbsp. water (just enough to dissolve the arrowroot; I usually do this in a small cup.  Make sure to stir it well.)


Mix the first 6 ingredients together in a saucepan and heat at medium heat until boiling and the rest of your meal is almost ready.  Stir the arrowroot in water mixture, then Add arrowroot in water mixture slowly, stirring, until sauce is the desired consistency.  Stir until well mixed, turn off the burner and replace the lid.  Make sure sauce is hot, and serve.  Leftover sauce keeps well in the refrigerator and reheats just fine.


Substitution note 1:  I usually use 2-4 Tbsp. agave nectar instead of the brown sugar.  Sometimes I use 2 Tbsp. agave with a sprinkle of stevia.  I haven't tried other sugar substitutes or stevia by itself, but they would probably work.  If you use all stevia, make sure you have a brand that doesn't leave an aftertaste.  If you try something I haven't listed, let me know how it works!

Substitution note 2:  Other fruit juice such as cranberry or pomegranate juice works just fine.  I used a cran-grape mixture once too.  Decrease the red wine vinegar to 2-3 Tbsp, depending on your taste, if you do this. 


Substitution note 3:  There are other thickening agents besides arrowroot that might work with this recipe.  I have used tapioca starch mixed in water as well, but I don't care for the flavor that this adds.  A friend of mine simply sprinkles guar gum on the top of her sauce to thicken it.  I haven't tried this, so you're on your own if you want to use guar gum! 

Here's my favorite alternate recipe, using some of my substitutions:

Ingredients:
     2/3 c. pomegranate, cranberry, grape, or mixture juice
     1/3 c. red wine vinegar
     2 Tbsp. agave nectar
     sprinkle of stevia
     1/4 tsp seasoning salt
     1/2 tsp garlic
     1/2 tsp ginger
     1/2 Tbsp arrowroot in 3 Tbsp. water (mixed well)

Mix the first 7 ingredients together in a saucepan and heat at medium heat until boiling and the rest of your meal is almost ready.  Stir the arrowroot in water mixture, then Add arrowroot in water mixture slowly, stirring, until sauce is the desired consistency.  Stir until well mixed, turn off the burner and replace the lid.  Make sure sauce is hot, and serve. 

Welcome

Welcome to Tuckalucky Ridge.  Have a seat in a rockin' chair, feel the fall breeze with its hint of a chill cross your face, and watch the sunset with me.  I'll be posting about things I'm interested in - recipes, allergen-free eating, photography, family history, gardening, and whatever else comes to mind.  When all is quiet, you might hear the sound of a fiddle drifting across the valley.  Thanks for stopping by!

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Pancakes

This recipe is one of my favorites!  These pancakes are good with strawberry jam, honey, molasses, syrup, or even just plain!


Ingredients:
     1/3 c. cooked, mashed sweet potato
     1/2 c. rice milk (or regular milk or buttermilk)
     1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil (vegetable or canola oil will work also)
     1 egg
     3/4 c. Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking and Pancake Mix
     sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)
     1/2 tsp. vanilla (optional)


Mix mashed sweet potato and other wet ingredients together, including vanilla if desired.  Stir until smooth.  Add the dry ingredients and stir gently until flour is just moistened.  Let stand five minutes.  Drop by 1/4 cups of batter and use scoop to slightly spread batter until relatively even.  Cook in greased electric skillet at 350°F until top appears slightly dry, then flip and cook until browned on both sides.  Serve hot.  To re-heat, toast lightly.  Makes about six 4" pancakes.


Note:  I use Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking and Pancake Mix in this recipe.  Other pancake mix probably could  be used as well, or you could make your own.  I may try this and will post it if it works. 
10-17-2010 Edit: I used Bob's Red Mill Biscuit and Pancake Mix to make these pancakes last time.  I added another 1/4 c. rice milk to the recipe, and probably could have added yet another 1/4 c. (for a total of 1 c. in the recipe).  Also, the baking soda-y taste was quite a bit stronger.  I'll continue to experiment with this and let you know how it turns out.