Random Thoughts...Food, Firearms, and Fun

I had my May Dream Dinners session on Friday. I attended the flex session, and had finished preparing my 72 servings by the time Amber arrived. I helped her prepare her meals, and then headed out, as I needed to drop off my meals at home, gather any venison I couldn't fit in the freezer, and meet the department secretary before doing a home visit for a family looking to adopt a dog. The department secretary ended up with three packages of antelope and mule deer, and I ended up having to place a few of my Dream Dinners in the freezer upstairs. I also cleaned out a few packages of freezer burnt steaks and a few packages of Omaha Steaks. We took the Omaha Steaks with us on Saturday, when we headed to visit with my parents. Saturday morning, we grabbed breakfast, then headed home. I wanted to pack, then leave as soon as the mail was delivered. I was waiting on a check, and didn't want to leave it sitting in the mailbox over the weekend. We didn't leave until 3:30--Mac decid...

Enjoy... Remembering a Great Uncle -- and Military Hero -- We Never Met Mr. Wrong : Definitely the Wrong Movie

A friend sells Lilla Rose products (fancy hair clips and such), and she's asked me to try one of their Flexi Hair Clips. The deal is that I'll try it at no cost, and if I decide to keep it, I'll pay for it. I'm anxiously awaiting delivery of it. She's sending the center one to me. Expect a review after I've had a chance to wear it for a few days! Lilla Rose Flexi Clips

I'm participating in an online focus group concerning foods, and I'm having a blast. I've also referenced Dream Dinners a lot in my answers, and have raved about it to a lot of the other participants! No, I don't enjoy Dream Dinners at all, do I? I explained how it's really allowed Mac and I to reconnect over dinner, and how now, he feels involved in dinner, because he gets to help select the menu.

On Saturday, I monitored a rescue transport, and drove a leg of it. The pups were coming from Dayton and going to New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. The transport started at 7 AM, so I was raring to go that early, or about as raring to go as I could be without coffee! Mac and I grabbed breakfast, then he headed home, while I headed out to the Women's Expo in Manheim. I really enjoyed the expo, and picked up a few neat things, including a water bottle that has a removable center section for fruits to flavor the water. I love it, and need to stock up on fruit so I can try it! I did a LOT of walking at the expo, which was good. The walking was good for my knees, because it was flat, stable terrain. After the expo, I headed home, and Mac and I then drove up to Harrisburg to meet the transport. Passengers were Daisy, a black lab mix who was so scared, she reminded me of Geno, Willow, a silver lab puppy who was SOOO cute, and Winston, a dachshund who thought he was in charge...

Mac and I had plans to head out to Elizabethtown this weekend. I won a $50 gift certificate to a shop out there during the Best Kept Secrets tour, and Mac wanted to get to a few gun stores out there. I also needed to head to Hershey for a mystery shop. On Friday, I found out that I needed to head into work, at least for about an hour. We headed to breakfast, then Mac dropped me off at work, and visited Gander Mountain. He was on his way back when I sent him a text message telling him that I had finished everything I needed to do. From there, we headed out to Elizabethtown. We stopped at Shoppes on Market, picked up my gift certificate, along with some coffee, and then stopped at two local gun stores. We didn't find much there, other than a new Walther PPK/S  in .22 LR. We discussed that as a birthday present for me, but upon further review, I think I'll pass. From there, we headed up to Hershey, and then to another gun store, before stopping at a semi-local brewpub for lu...

Dinner last night was the Dream Dinners Asian Pork Loin. I'd planned to make it last week, but then had other plans come up, and opted to postpone preparing it. Mac left work at lunchtime yesterday, as he was exhausted. I'd tried to convince him to stay home all day, but he didn't listen to me. Silly boy! I had to run a few errands after work, so I didn't get dinner in until about 5:45. The directions were very simple, like most: Place the pork loin in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray, fat-side up, and bake at 350 for 1 hour, 10 minutes, covering loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes. Heat the marinade in a sauce pan until boiling, remove from heat, then use to top the pork loin before serving. Allow the pork loin to rest for 5-10 minutes. Mac took care of covering it with foil and letting it rest, and he brought up two good questions about that: Keep it in the oven or pull it out for those 5-10 minutes? Keep it covered or remove the foil? I...

We're still working through some of the April meals, so dinner last night was Dream Dinners Chicken Marsala with Mashed Potatoes. I'd prepared it back in December or some such, but traded it for the Fruit Stuffed Pork Loin. It was very easy to prepare: Cook the chicken in a skillet Heat the mashed potatoes in a pan Add the sauce to the chicken, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. I prepared it while Mac was reloading. I told him dinner would be ready at 7, but figuring it might take a bit longer than the 20-25 minutes time to table, I started cooking a bit early. Rather, we ate dinner 20 minutes early! This was the first time I've prepared a dish with mashed potatoes since they changed to pre-bagged mashed potatoes. I noticed that it seemed like there were less mashed potatoes than normal. I don't know if perhaps one of my bags wasn't filled quite as much, or if they cut back a bit. I would guess they probably cut back the amount a bit, as a cost ...

Mac and I spent the weekend in Philadelphia. Well, outside of Philadelphia, technically. We arrived around dinnertime on Friday, and checked in to a very pet-friendly hotel, the Hampton Inn in Downingtown/Exton, PA. It was probably one of the least painful hotel check-ins with the dogs for a few reasons: It was self-parking, so Mac and the dogs could stay in the car while I checked into the hotel. No pet fees No pet agreements to sign Since it was self-parking, we could park, take the dogs to the room, then get the luggage. I'd guess our experiences when traveling with the dogs at a hotel with valet parking probably resemble those from people who travel with kids to those locations. You have to pull the dogs out of the car, plus the luggage, and it's never just one or two bags. The dogs share a bag, then Mac and I each generally have a bag each, plus our laptop bags. If we each only end up carrying two bags, plus managing a dog, we're lucky! So, this was nice. It w...

I recently discovered a cheese shop called September Farm Cheese . It's located in Honey Brook, PA, but they do ship their products if you aren't local. Their cheeses are very yummy, and if you are remotely local, I highly suggest you swing by there! If you like what you taste, and plan on frequenting their store occasionally, I also suggest purchasing one of their reusable shopping bags for $1.50. You'll receive a pin each time you return with the bag and make a purchase, and once you have 5 pins, you'll receive an 8 oz. bar of cheese for free. The bars range in price from $5-$7, so it's a deal. I discovered the store when my mother and I were running around Lancaster County a few weekends ago, and brought a few bars of cheese home for Mac to try. Mac and I returned this past weekend, and picked up another 5 or 6 bars of cheese! Between the two trips, we purchased: Extra Sharp Cheddar Extra, Extra Sharp Cheddar Pepperoni Augusto Jack (3 bars total) Garlic an...