Wet Camping for Moose

It occurred to me today, that when I was younger and went camping with our scout group, my parents waited until the weekend was over to know how we made it through the rough weather. And that just isn't the case anymore. With today's technology kids have cell phones, Facebook, and the internet.

Moose went camping with his Boy Scout troop. They left yesterday evening to camp at a Civil War fort. By 10:15 p.m. straight line winds, tornadoes, thunder, lightning, and rain were headed their way. One of the boy's parents called me because she couldn't contact her son on his cell phone (Moose's troop has a strict policy of NO cell phones). So, I texted the leader told him about the weather heading his way. Well, they made it through perhaps a little wet but no major damage or destruction. Everyone was in bed by 11:15 p.m. as it continued to rain.

Back to the boy with the cell phone, he called home all night long, told his parents how bad it was for him. His tent was wet, sleeping bag was wet, he was sleeping under a pavilion on the cold hard floor, you get the picture. His parents are now on their way to camp with dry gear for him.

Going back to my childhood parents couldn't contact us at camp so if we were wet from rain we figured it out. There were a few occasions where leaders took wet sleeping bags to town to dry. But most times we were wet a clothes line was strung and we hoped our bags were dry by nightfall. And let me tell you every time a certain adult went camping it rained and flooded.

Here is my question, do you think kids should have a cell phone?

I know that is a tough question. You want your kids to have all of the resources they  need to protect themselves but at the same time...If they are constantly calling you they are missing out on a great learning experience with the other scouts.

I did suggest to the parents on the rescue that they take all of the wet sleeping bags to town to dry at the laundromat. I just received a text from "Mama" and they are on their way to town now with a few wet sleeping bags.

So, what do you think?

Fried Chicken

Here is the piggies favorite food, I make it every year for our Independence Day picnic.

Fried Chicken Strips/Nuggets

Ingredients

1 cup cracker crumbs

About 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken

LouAna Pure Coconut Oil 31.5 fl oz (or any other coconut oil)

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 egg

½ cup milk

Ok, here's what you do…

1. Crush the crackers and set aside.

2. Prepare your chicken, cut away all the fat and icky stuff. Cut the chicken into strips or nuggets. (You can also use ¼ cup Italian dressing and 1 cup water to marinade the chicken overnight or for several hours).

3. Get three bowls/containers to use for breading/battering. Here is how you get them ready.

                Bowl 1

                1 cup all-purpose flour

                1/2 teaspoon salt

                1/2 teaspoon pepper

                Mix together

                Bowl 2

                1/4 cup all-purpose flour

                1 egg

                1/2 cup milk

                Whisk together so there are no lumps.

                Bowl 3

                1 cup cracker crumbs (Ritz, Saltines, etc. you pick)

                1/4 cup flour

                Mix together

4. Toss the chicken one piece at a time into each bowl until you have breaded/battered all of the chicken. Start with bowl one move to two, and finish with bowl three.

5. Heat the coconut oil on medium heat in a Dutch oven (to about 350 degrees, BTW I don’t’ check the temp but you can if you want). Use metal tongs to place each piece of chicken in the oil. (If you drop the chicken the oil splatters and ouch that hurts, been there done that!) Cook for about 5 minutes. (I save the oil and use it one more time.) Drain the chicken on a napkin (or paper towel) covered plate. 

Yummy, try this with homemade Ranch!

Theater

Today Lil Bit was in a play at our local theater. She was so fun to watch and several of her friends were in the play with her. After her participation in the program I suggest you get involved in community theater. It is great inexpensive quality entertainment for the family!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

I made this Ranch Dressing for a big event at church this week. Everyone loved it! I love it because you know exactly what you are getting. I would give a Piggie Rating but they don't like Ranch Dressing. I hope you enjoy this recipe. Let me know if you try it.

Ranch Salad Dressing

½ c. sour cream
½ c. mayonnaise
½ c. buttermilk (add 1-1/2 tsp. vinegar to milk to equal 1/2 c. if you can't find real buttermilk)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley, or 3 TB. chopped fresh
½ tsp. onion powder
¾ tsp. sea salt (or to taste)
½ tsp. black pepper
1-2 tsp. dried dill

Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, and lemon juice in a pint jar or mixing bowl. Shake or whisk to mix well.

Add the remaining ingredients and shake (or whisk) again until well combined. If using a bowl, transfer to a dressing container with lid.

Refrigerate one or more hours before using.

For a thicker dip: increase sour cream by 1/4 cup (or, conversely, add more milk, a little at a time if a thinner consistency is desired).

Shake well before each use.

Taco Sauce

Today I made taco sauce, we are going to have tacos for dinner. I will let you know how the piggies like the sauce.

Here is the recipe for my taco sauce.

Taco Sauce

15 oz. can tomato sauce

½ cup water

2 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix all of the ingredients in a canning jar and shake. Let it sit in the fridge over night to let the flavors meld.

The Piggies Rating:

Boomer: not present

Moose: "No thank you."

Rainbow: "Can I have ketchup?"

Lil Bit: "No thanks."


To be fair to the recipe the piggies don't normally eat taco sauce but I do. It was definitely not hot. But not bad either. I think if you increased the cayenne pepper to 1 teaspoon that would give it a little more kick.

Brownies

Brownies

1 stick of butter

1 - 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips

1 1/3 c. flour

1 ½ c. sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter and chocolate chips in a sauce pan on medium-high heat. While melting the butter and chocolate chips measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir. Add the vanilla and eggs to the dry ingredients then the melted butter and chocolate. Mix thoroughly. Bake in a greased 9x11 baking dish for 25 minutes.

The Piggies Rating:

Boomer: not present

Moose: “Delicious!”

Rainbow: “Good.”

Lil Bit: “Better than anything!”

Fried Squash and Fried Green Beans

Today I made "the piggies" fried squash and fried green beans. I have made them fried squash before but today was a first for the green beans.

Here is my recipe:

Fried Green Beans

Unbleached all-purpose flour

Egg

Milk

Fresh green beans

Coconut oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Put a jar of coconut oil in a dutchoven on the stove on medium-medium high heat (be sure the Dutch oven is deep). Heat the oil to about 350 degrees.

Wash then blanch the green beans (put them in water boil then drain) while the oil is heating.

Use three bowls. Put about a cup of all-purpose flour in the first bowl, beat 1 egg and about ½ cup of milk in the second bowl, and then put a cup of all-purpose flour, salt, and pepper in the third bowl.

Dip the green beans one at a time in the first bowl, then the second, and then roll it in the third bowl. After you have done this to every green bean.

Put about 12 of the coated green beans in the coconut oil in the Dutch oven fry them for 4-5 minutes or until the coating is crispy. Drain on a paper towel. Continue until you have fried all of them.

(You can make the squash the same way just cut it into thin slices first.)

The Piggies Rating:

Boomer: not present

Moose: “Yum! Can you make more?”

Rainbow: “Not bad.”

Lil Bit: “Yuck!”

Camping

Rainbow and I are camping tonight & tomorrow and it's raining. We are going to pick up Lil Bit on Saturday and she will camp for a night with us too. Some friends will be joining us tomorrow.

Here are a few pictures from our camping trip.

Our campsite.

Fire during the drizzling rain.

It was so beautiful!

Laundry Detergent

We make our own laundry detergent. This is the recipe we use. The piggies and I have sensitive skin and this is such an awesome detergent for us. No more breaking out from a change in the detergent.

Laundry Detergent

Ingredients:
1 - 4 lb 12 oz box Borax
4 - 1 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
1  box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap
2 small containers of Oxy Clean  (I use the store brand, try to get about 3.5 lbs total)

Directions:
This detergent is fairly mild smelling, it is not over powering. Great for sensitive skin.

Start out by grating your Fels-Naptha soap just like cheese. (Rainbow grates the Fels-Naptha soap for us, she usually sits out on the porch to do this. She uses the best grater that we found at IKEA.)

Toss all of the ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. We use a wooden paddle to stir the ingredients together.

Use 1/8 cup of detergent per load. You'll love it!

Graduation Dinner

Moose, Rainbow and I helped with a Graduate Dinner at church. It was quite wonderful.

The four graduates and their families were very appreciative. They enjoyed themselves. And were treated to a delightful evening.

There was an appetizer table with, mini-6 layer dip, veggie shooters, fruit kabobs, caprese kabobs, sushi, homemade crackers with pimento cheese, chicken salad filled bite-size tomatoes, and few others I don't remember.

Then dinner was served by the youth. Dinner was a tossed salad, pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, with pork gravy, and green beans broiled with bacon. Everything was so good.

And the dessert table had a variety of different desserts for everyone to choose from. I can't wait to see what they do next year.

Surgery for Rainbow

Rainbow had surgery today! She had her adenoids removed. She did great! She read, "Anne's House of Dreams" while she was waiting  for surgery. Rainbow was not afraid until they removed her IV. It scared her to have the tape removed, not the IV but the tape. She is doing well and I'm sure she will recover fast.

Road Trip!

Rainbow, Lil Bit and I went to Patti's 1800 Settlement. We had an awesome lunch and then walked around the settlement. There is so much to do. Rainbow had her picture taken in a butterfly chair and then she and Lil Bit had their picture taken with the Pink Tractor.

Angry Birds Pizza

We were invited to a Pizza Potluck. So, we being piggies, decided to make an Angry Bird's pizza.

The beak is made with cheddar, cheese, the eyes and eye brows are made with provolone and colored with black food coloring. Everyone loved it!

The Piggies Rating:

Boomer: not present

Moose: "Cool! Can I eat it now?"

Rainbow: "Hee, hee, hee."

Lil Bit: "They'll love it!"

English Muffins

The piggies and I made the best English muffins. We used a recipe from "The Happy Housewife." We didn't cut our English muffins into circles but cut them squares and rectangles. The were great!

The Piggies Rating:
Boomer: not present
Moose: "They're all gone! Can you make more please?"
Rainbow: "Yummy!"
Lil Bit: "AWWWESOME!"

Logo

This is a logo we created for our unique boutique. The piggies and I have been very busy creating special items at our boutique.

We have recently made hoop skirts, burpies, onesies, quilts, grocery bags, and gifts galore.

We will also be sharing some of our favorite recipes, trips, and adventures with you. So, check back often.

Boomer Moved to a New Pen

Today we took Boomer to the airport. She is moving to the beach to a new pen today. I'm sure she will have a great time and lots of fun with her friends.

Isn't that a beautiful place to live?

Introduction

Let me introduce ourselves:

First I am the Princess. I take charge of all of the piggies. You might think piggies are lazy but we are quite busy.

The first piggie is "Boomer." She leaves for other "pig pens" but always comes back, just like a boomerang that's why we call her "Boomer." She has great adventures while away.

The second piggie is "Moose." Da Moose is always busy and on the go. He eats more than the rest of the piggies put together and is still the thinnest piggie around.

The third piggie is "Rainbow." Rainbow lives in a fantasy world most of time. We have to bring her back to earth from her other worlds to help us.

The last and littlest piggie is "Lil Bit." She has always been the littlest piggie that's why we call her "Lil Bit." For such a lil' thing she is so busy! She calls herself, "CRRRAZZZY!"