Living in coastal North Carolina isn't exactly what I had in mind, when I was growing up. Of course, being on the east coast is very different than waking up every morning and spending quality time in "God's Country" - AKA Indiana! For instance, I have been searching for an apple orchard around here, so that I could pick us some yummy fruit and possibly can some applesauce for our baby to use. While I'm at it, I should be honest and mention that a homemade apple pie sounded pretty dog on delicious, too. Did you know the closest orchard is approximately 4 hours away from us? Here's another thing people around here do not know they are missing, COMBINES! Yes, for those back at home, I miss getting stuck behind a combine, on our country roads! I miss the dust from harvest, I miss running food out to the guys in the field, I even miss seeing farmers (and my dad) dusty and aggravated from a broke down machine. I miss the grain trucks driving by, I miss seeing fields opened up after months of beans or corn decorating their landscape, and I even miss seeing deer run out in front of me!
Here in North Carolina, I am just excited to see dark clouds and feel rain drizzle down my face. Speaking of rain, our area has had over 10" since Sunday, and it is pouring as I write this. Chase is not so thrilled about working on the aircraft during this type of weather, but we both like hearing the rain on the roof and the distant sound of thunder, or is that artillery going off? Deer, ... let me tell you about our deer. Around here, we do not have deer, we have Bambies! We like to go in and visit the game warden at Camp Lejeune, and the deer they have showcased in their office don't even compare to the button bucks we have back at home. Get this, though. There are bears here! The game wardens are very funny and approachable, they told us "If it's brown, shoot it!" This applies to both bear and deer! They seem a lot less strict than the DNR I've encountered through the years. Oh, while I am at it, I may as well tell you what else the game wardens mentioned... Chase and a friend are planning on cutting firewood this fall, as our friend has a wood burning fireplace in his apartment. Well, we filled out the forms, to cut firewood on base, and I particularaly didn't want to use a chain saw, but figured I could carry the wood, while the guys cut it. The game warden said that was fine, but to be sure to wear snake boots! WHOA! Let's just stop this apple cart, right here. SNAKES??? Apparently some sort of diamand back, and several other kinds of snakes, have infested the base and can be very dangerous. Let's just say I don't need those snake boots, I'll keep my happy, little (okay, I am pregnant, so maybe it's not so little) hiney away from those woods and wait until those monsters decide to sleep, or hibernate, then maybe...
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Oh Betty!
Good news! Betty the Bird tasted wonderful in our enchiladas last night! YUMMY!!! Chase said that Betty was the tenderest chicken he's ever had, but he did say it needed more seasoning. Why is it that when I think of our "Betty the Bird", Ram Jam's version of "Black Betty" pops into my head?
So, any advice on how to use up the two bowls of chicken broth I have in our fridge?
By the way, I fixed some acorn squash last night and it reminded me of home. My mom fixes this every fall, it seems like. It tastes scrumptious! Although Chase isn't that big of a fan, it did allow me to eat both halves! I figured, squash has to be healthier for me and Slater, instead of eating a huge bowl of ice cream, right?
Speaking of Slater, he is now 29 weeks along and the size of a butternut squash (crazy how today's post seems to be all about squash, huh?). According to babycenter.com, he is depositing fat and is expected to be moving around like crazy (which I can testify to, he's achieved!). Our next appointment is that first week in October. I'll keep you updated on how everything is going.
Hope you all have a great week and God bless!
So, any advice on how to use up the two bowls of chicken broth I have in our fridge?
By the way, I fixed some acorn squash last night and it reminded me of home. My mom fixes this every fall, it seems like. It tastes scrumptious! Although Chase isn't that big of a fan, it did allow me to eat both halves! I figured, squash has to be healthier for me and Slater, instead of eating a huge bowl of ice cream, right?
Speaking of Slater, he is now 29 weeks along and the size of a butternut squash (crazy how today's post seems to be all about squash, huh?). According to babycenter.com, he is depositing fat and is expected to be moving around like crazy (which I can testify to, he's achieved!). Our next appointment is that first week in October. I'll keep you updated on how everything is going.
Hope you all have a great week and God bless!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Chicken, WHAT?
A couple of weeks ago, I (Hayley) was home for a couple of baby showers and Thirty-One parties. While visiting with my Mother-In-Law (AKA Granny), I was asking cooking questions. The topic of cooking a chicken arose. Now, I'm not just talking about cooking some chicken breast, but I'm referring to cooking a whole chicken, you know, like the "Fresh Young Chickens" they have on sale periodically at the local grocery store. Granny explained to me how she handled this type of cooking adventure, but I guess I should have wrote it down, because I was "flying" around the kitchen this morning like a chicken with its head cut off (which I have seen in person, and let's just say I've never thought of a crow bar in the same way since).
On to the chicken story, ya'll...
We bought two Tyson chickens Saturday at the commissary. I figured, it's so much cheaper per pound, than purchasing chicken breast, we should at least attempt this. Anyways, Chase picked out two birds, we put them in the cart, and away we went. When we arrived home, we unloaded the purchases, and I wasn't thinking (does that surprise you at all?), and I put the chickens in the freezer. So, first thing this morning, I was going to conquer this chicken adventure, then realized that both birds were frozen stiffer than the Ice Roads they feature on Discovery. Did you know it takes over 60 minutes to defrost a 5.16 lb. chicken in the microwave? Well, I know that now!
During my chicken thawing process, I decided to read the directions on the bag the chicken came in. Hmm, this is not what Granny told me to do. I'll stick with Granny's way, it seems tried and true. Then, all of a sudden, I came to the part that said remove the neck and giblets. I know, I know, I SHOULD know this, right? It so happens that Chase was out in the garage, putting the bumper back on the Ranger (he took it off to repaint it, no big deal), so I decided to visit him and ask if he knew where the neck and giblets were in this bird I had thawing. Sure enough, he looked at me like I had lost my mind, then said something along the lines of "What are giblets?" I decided maybe I should just conquer this chicken on my own.
Well, after the microwave finally alerted me that the defrosting process was finished, I removed my chicken from the electric contraption and placed it on the stove, to take inventory on where I should begin my Giblet Recovery Process. I decided the bag hanging out of the internal cavity might just be the neck and giblets mentioned - so, that's what I pulled out!
Next, I sprinkled the inside of "Betty the Bird," with salt, pepper, italian seasoning, and garlic pepper. After that, poor Betty was dropped into our crockpot, water was added (I even threw in a chicken flavored cube just to make it a little more tastey, was I supposed to do that?), and the crockpot was turned to low.
Writing this got me to thinking... Why in the world does Tyson include the neck and giblets in the bird, if we are just supposed to remove them? It so happens, that I returned these items to our freezer. I think they just may come in handy when we next go fishing. You know, use it for bait! Good thing I do not think we're having guests over for supper. I will let you know how Betty turns out, but I'm sure glad we aren't testing this food on anyone tonight!
On to the chicken story, ya'll...
We bought two Tyson chickens Saturday at the commissary. I figured, it's so much cheaper per pound, than purchasing chicken breast, we should at least attempt this. Anyways, Chase picked out two birds, we put them in the cart, and away we went. When we arrived home, we unloaded the purchases, and I wasn't thinking (does that surprise you at all?), and I put the chickens in the freezer. So, first thing this morning, I was going to conquer this chicken adventure, then realized that both birds were frozen stiffer than the Ice Roads they feature on Discovery. Did you know it takes over 60 minutes to defrost a 5.16 lb. chicken in the microwave? Well, I know that now!
During my chicken thawing process, I decided to read the directions on the bag the chicken came in. Hmm, this is not what Granny told me to do. I'll stick with Granny's way, it seems tried and true. Then, all of a sudden, I came to the part that said remove the neck and giblets. I know, I know, I SHOULD know this, right? It so happens that Chase was out in the garage, putting the bumper back on the Ranger (he took it off to repaint it, no big deal), so I decided to visit him and ask if he knew where the neck and giblets were in this bird I had thawing. Sure enough, he looked at me like I had lost my mind, then said something along the lines of "What are giblets?" I decided maybe I should just conquer this chicken on my own.
Well, after the microwave finally alerted me that the defrosting process was finished, I removed my chicken from the electric contraption and placed it on the stove, to take inventory on where I should begin my Giblet Recovery Process. I decided the bag hanging out of the internal cavity might just be the neck and giblets mentioned - so, that's what I pulled out!
Next, I sprinkled the inside of "Betty the Bird," with salt, pepper, italian seasoning, and garlic pepper. After that, poor Betty was dropped into our crockpot, water was added (I even threw in a chicken flavored cube just to make it a little more tastey, was I supposed to do that?), and the crockpot was turned to low.
Writing this got me to thinking... Why in the world does Tyson include the neck and giblets in the bird, if we are just supposed to remove them? It so happens, that I returned these items to our freezer. I think they just may come in handy when we next go fishing. You know, use it for bait! Good thing I do not think we're having guests over for supper. I will let you know how Betty turns out, but I'm sure glad we aren't testing this food on anyone tonight!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Welcome to the Blogging World
Church.... WOW! What else can we say? We heard an awesome sermon today (and let's not forget the singing, too!).
Lately, Chase and I have been stressing out over a situation, and we've been praying that God opens up the door and shows/tells/smacks-us-over-the-head with what He wants us to do. Uggh, we hate making big decisions! Well, our guest Pastor, Al Cockrell, lead us by reading Ephesians 2:1-10. It was exactly what Chase and I needed to hear. I even wrote down a saying the Pastor mentioned, and I'm sharing it with you. He said, "Your position in Christ TRUMPS everything else." To us, this meant that everything else in life is small, compared to our relationship with our Savior. Chase and I aren't stressing anymore, and we're letting God lead us to do the "Christian-thing" in the decision we have to make. Our Connect Class (like Sunday School for 20-30 year old couples) just enforced what we heard during the sermon. We both feel so relieved.
Other than that, by now you've noticed we'ved created a blog. We want to be able to stay up to date with those family and friends back at home, and to share what's going on in our lives. Hope you like it!
God bless!
Lately, Chase and I have been stressing out over a situation, and we've been praying that God opens up the door and shows/tells/smacks-us-over-the-head with what He wants us to do. Uggh, we hate making big decisions! Well, our guest Pastor, Al Cockrell, lead us by reading Ephesians 2:1-10. It was exactly what Chase and I needed to hear. I even wrote down a saying the Pastor mentioned, and I'm sharing it with you. He said, "Your position in Christ TRUMPS everything else." To us, this meant that everything else in life is small, compared to our relationship with our Savior. Chase and I aren't stressing anymore, and we're letting God lead us to do the "Christian-thing" in the decision we have to make. Our Connect Class (like Sunday School for 20-30 year old couples) just enforced what we heard during the sermon. We both feel so relieved.
Other than that, by now you've noticed we'ved created a blog. We want to be able to stay up to date with those family and friends back at home, and to share what's going on in our lives. Hope you like it!
God bless!
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