Happy Australia Day!

With many thanks and a tip of my cap to Kae’s Bloodnut Blog!

Letter from Vermont

America’s Test Kitchen is where I got the recipe to make apple pie and THE BEST pumpkin pie that we had for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Saturday I made garlic mashed potatoes for Kait’s birthday dinner, and they were a BIG hit – easy, too! Love the show, love the recipes.

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Dear Home Cook,

Over the holiday, it felt like South Carolina had moved to Vermont! There was no snow and the temperature climbed up into the high forties. No snow, no sledding, no snowplowing, and no skating. But the good news was that the rabbit hunting was fabulous. Tom and I took out Bernadette, his seven-year-old beagle, for a couple of days on the side hills and she ran a half-dozen rabbits per day. One afternoon, I was standing in a narrow field between a large patch of thorny scrub and the woods and I watched the same large rabbit scoot across, always out of range. I kept moving up the field, predicting where he might dart out next, but I never got it right. Finally, as I was looking to my right, he ran across, and just as I turned back, I saw him disappear into the bushes. It felt like a Bugs Bunny cartoon. (Guess that would make me Elmer Fudd.) Click here to see a few photos of rabbit hunting.

New Year’s brings with it the beginning of the political season, hence this story from the world of Vermont politics. An old-time northeast kingdom farmer, also a stout Republican, went to see the Democratic sheriff to report a theft.

“Yes, sir,” the farmer said, “yesterday I butchered a hog and left it hanging by the barn. During the night someone came along and stole half of that hog and I am sorry to say that it was a Republican.”

“And why,” asked the sheriff, “do you think that it was a Republican?”

“Because,” said the farmer, “if it had been a damned Democrat, he’d have taken the whole hog!”

To start out 2012 in fine fashion we are offering a 14-Day Free Trial to our Cook’s Country website, where all of the recipes from this publication can be easily searched, printed, stored, and organized. You can also view four years of episodes of our Cook’s Country television show. All of this comes at a pretty great value of $24.95 for an annual membership if you wish to continue as a paid member. Click here to start your 14-Day Free Trial.

In other news, the price of milk is high these days—good news for our local dairy farmers—and the road just before the turn to Pawlet has been repaired for some time now after the big flood. Things seem pretty quiet at the country store as the economy has not picked up yet and winter is slow. The best Christmas decoration was the old Farmall tractor on my neighbor’s lawn that was decked out in small white lights. The perfect vision of a Vermont Christmas.

Just before the holidays, I stopped by the Dorset School to see a good friend, Ellen Saltonstall, and to interview some of the kids about school lunches. For years, I have wondered about how one might adapt the Alice Waters approach to school lunches in a colder, less hospitable environment. Well, it works here, too. The school is planting fruit trees. The parents have ponied up their hard-earned money to help purchase local beef instead of what the USDA provides. They are starting to grow many of their own vegetables. Scout Proft, who runs Someday Farm, mostly an organic poultry operation, with her husband, Matt, has been very involved as well. In true Vermont fashion, these folks are not waiting around until somebody else comes up with a solution. They are just doing it, much like the response to the severe storm earlier this fall. When everything is local and you know your neighbors, things get done a whole lot more easily.

The cold weather has just moved in and so the pellet stoves and outdoor wood furnaces are going hard. I am reading The Tiger’s Wife, which I highly recommend, as well as enjoying the new Sherlock Holmes series from BBC America. My favorite cookbook these days is Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, based on the food served at his high-end takeout shops in London: inventive, healthy, interesting food. Tried a talking timer in the kitchen over the holidays and it drove me nuts (“Fifteen minutes to go . . . Ten minutes to go . . . Three minutes to go . . .”). But my new pepper grinder, the Peugeot Daman U’Select Shaftless 8.25 Inch Pepper Mill, is still brilliant: Produces a lot of ground pepper, and filling it is easier than falling off a log. (Have done both.) Also went to see the new Tinker, Tailor movie and recommend watching the original instead—the one with Alec Guinness. Nobody will ever do George Smiley better.

I leave you with a story that comes all the way from London. It is true that some old-time Vermonters were not too keen on bathing, especially in the winter. Back in the 1950s and ’60s, many of the farmers in our town were of Finnish descent and used to bathe just once per week, during the Saturday night group sauna. With that in mind, this story is about the newsboys of a certain district of London who were taken on an annual outing by train out of the city and up the Thames. There, they would spend the afternoon in the river, horsing around and, of course, bathing. One little boy was just getting into the water when a sharp-tongued friend observed, “I say, Bill, ain’t you dirty!”

“Yes,” replied Bill. “I missed the train last year!”

Enjoy the winter, especially the opportunity to stand in front of a warm stove.

Cordially,

Christopher Kimball
Founder
America’s Test Kitchen

I wasn’t born to follow…

…but I wouldn’t mind going along…

More music from my childhood

Dad had this on a Limeliters album with Glenn Yarbrough, but I can’t find a video for that one.

Glenn Yarbrough’s biggest solo hit:

Kingston Trio does one of their hits. When I first heard this, I had no idea what an M.T.A. was, had never been east of Glasgow, Montana, and didn’t understand bureaucratic nightmares. All that’s changed now, of course.

2nd Annual Florida Hang – Part 4

There were lots of kids, including these 3 adorable sisters.

Flackfizer tends the fire.

Gumbo and Timberrr

Chattanooga Chuck

The men who made my weekend possible, then made me breakfast - Duffy and Johnny. Thank you so much for letting me go along!

2nd Annual Florida Hang – Part 3

Some of the people who were part of my weekend. Great fun, FABulous food. So glad I got to go. This particular batch is from Saturday. I think.

Duffy & I went for a walk along the trail where he & Johnny had their camp at last year's hang.

Nice young woman in the background, foreground is some of the raffle booty.

Low-country boil and a couple of the guys who made it happen

At the raffle

Couple guys I know, at the raffle

Grinder and Duffy

Buck Lake, around 4:30pm on Saturday

2nd Annual Florida Hang – Part 2

I’m so glad my hubby arranged it so I could go along. I always worry that having to ‘take care’ of me will ruin any fun or relaxation he’s looking forward to. I don’t think I made too big a pest of myself. I spilled Gumbo’s gumbo all over myself, had to change into my boots…sure smelled good, though, and dried quick in the cool night air.

Our camp - that's my spot on the left - Duffy even gave me a front porch!

Part 3 later today or this evening, with pictures of some of the people at the hang. So…hang on!

2nd Annual Florida Hang

It was clear and brisk during the day, warm in the sun – then clear and cold overnight…and it was all just right in the Ocala National Forest…

Making sure his first hammock is still usable.

The view from my 'porch'

Thank you, God, for another fine weekend with my husband and some new friends!

I have a few more pictures to post, but I’m so tired I’m cross-eyed now. Y’all have a beautiful evening, and thanks for stopping by!

Random Acts of Everyday Angels

It’s too easy to overlook the kindnesses performed daily on our behalf. But where would we be without these Earth Angels?

By Colleen Hughes, AOE Editor-in-Chief, New York, New York

As appeared in 

Ask me if I’ve ever seen an angel, and my quick answer is, No. I just love to help bring to life the angel stories people tell us. And that’s what I was doing the other day when the phone rang. “Hey, Colleen, it’s Angelo. Your Subaru’s ready to go.”

Every morning I jumped out of my car and ran past Angelo’s garage, high-tailing it to catch my bus at the corner. “Can’t be late for work!” I’d yell. This particular morning I had to let the bus go by and tend to the rattle in my car. Angelo promised he’d get to it ASAP—and here it was, finished. Too bad I wouldn’t get there in time to pick it up and pay him before he closed up shop for the day.

“I’ll stop in before my bus comes in the morning, how’s that?”

Angelo laughed. “You’ll be rushing, Colleen. Key’s under the driver’s side mat. Take your car and come see me on the weekend.”

“Wow, thanks!” I said. How often did a car mechanic care so much about his customers getting to work on time?

I returned to my angels reading. But Angelo’s kindness kept coming back to me. In his busy day he’d gone out of his way to consider me and my needs.

Then I remembered the grocery store clerk who’d rummaged around for a 10% off Thanksgiving coupon from a circular I hadn’t seen. “I know you like saving as much as I do,” she’d said. And the lifeguard who’d put aside the prescription sunglasses I’d left behind on the Fourth of July. Or the spring afternoon I’d found the postman fixing the red flag on my mailbox. All these people taking an unexpected interest in my everyday life.

As I thought back over the past year, I made a resolution for 2012. Ask me again if I’ve ever seen an angel. Yes, I have. Countless times.

Read more inspirational stories at Guideposts.

Ready to Rise!

Jaguars have a new head coach. Was just announced by the Florida Times-Union that Mike Mularkey will take the head coaching job in Jacksonville. Here’s the story, so far:

Jaguars hire Mike Mularkey as head coach

Posted: January 10, 2012 – 9:56pm  |  Updated: January 10, 2012 – 10:05pm

By Tania Ganguli 

Mike Mularkey will be the third head coach in Jacksonville Jaguars history, sources told the Times-Union on Tuesday night.

Mularkey, 50, was previously head coach with the Buffalo Bills, and went 9-7 in 2004 and 5-11 in 2005. He interviewed for the job Tuesday.

Mularkey’s Falcons were eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday in a 24-2 loss to the New York Giants. His development of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who developed quickly, is part of the draw for the Jaguars. Ryan was drafted out of Boston College in 2008 and threw for 3,440 yards in his rookie year and had an 87.7 rating. He threw 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions that season.

In the 2011 season, Ryan threw for 4,177 yards with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He had a rating of 92.2.

The development of Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert will be a prime task for Mularkey and his staff. 

Mulkarkey, a Miami native, is familiar with the area, having played for the University of Florida. He played tight end in the NFL for nine seasons (1983-91), six with the Minnesota Vikings and three with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He’s been the Falcons’ offensive coordinator since a two-year stint as an assistant coach under Nick Saban with the Miami Dolphins. He was scheduled to interview for their head coach opening this week. He was offensive coordinator under Saban in 2006. 

Mularkey began his pro coaching career as a tight ends coach for Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh, then became the Steelers offensive coordinator from 2001-03 before going to Buffalo. 

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2012-01-10/story/jaguars-hire-mike-mularkey-head-coach#ixzz1j7HEuB7Z

I don’t see Shahid Khan, the new owner, as skimping, or doing anything not in the best interest of WINNING. The Jaguar fans I know aren’t exactly thrilled with the hire. Mularkey must’ve been pretty impressive in the interview…Mularkey’s kid is on the Jaguars scouting staff…I insist on being hopeful… Go Jaguars!