Today's Frame Of Mind

The photographer for our show posted a picture of the production staff on Facebook. My first thought when I saw the picture was, "Wow, look at how gray I am!" That was followed by a quick moment of delusion. "The stage lights accentuate that." That was followed by, "Get real, Barb."

Usually, I am not bothered by the fact I have reached a "mature" age. After all, I am very happily retired from my career. Then, while I was doing my morning reading, this came across my screen:

I thought, "How appropriate for this morning." I considered going for a new look.

I could carry off something kind of "out there." It could be fun. Something different. Or maybe just weird. Obviously not in the best mood, I got ready to go the gym with Paul for our strength training regimen.

It is a good thing he was there to encourage me to go. My muscles and joints have been barking at me because of the hours I have spent at the piano in the past few weeks.

So, there I was on my second machine, resting in between repetitions, when this little old man pushing a walker strolled past. He stopped, looked right at me and said, "Is this making you feel better? I'm not so sure it's working for me!" And then he laughed.

And, so did I. At myself.

Just ask me to tell you a story. "I've got a million of 'em."

4th of July Barbecue Recipes

Jayne and Tom joined us last night for a

Paul and I wanted to try some new recipes. It's nice to feel so comfortable with people we can invite them without hesitation to taste dishes for the first time. Jayne and Tom brought Strawberry Shortcake. I'm always happy when people offer to bring dessert because those recipes are out of my comfort zone!

We are in the experimental stages with our electric smoker and this was our first attempt at spare ribs. I think these were our most successful to date. I also wanted to make baked beans to try to achieve those homemade beans I remember from childhood. The potato salad and ancho chile butter recipes caught my attention from the latest edition of Bon Appétit.

Here are the recipes with our notes:
Blue Ribbon Barbecue Ribs
Potato Salad with Pancetta, Rosemary and Lemon
Sweet Corn with Honey-Ancho Chile Butter
Barbecue Baked Beans

I love summer time cooking.

Well, I love cooking all year, but I especially love summer time cooking. Try these recipes, I think you might enjoy them! Talk to you soon.

Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July! I have such wonderful memories of this day. When we were young, we celebrated each 4th of July with a huge family reunion. All of the cousins on my Mom's side of the family gathered at one of the family farms for a full day of fun. We played hide and seek in the corn fields, which were knee high by the 4th of July, had volley ball tournaments, blew up firecrackers under the "supervision"  of our dads, had cold pop and watermelon iced in a big aluminum tank and ended the day with our own fireworks display,  supplied by one of our uncles.  And most importantly, we ate wonderful food, prepared by the moms and grandmas and great aunts. Fried chicken, baked beans, potato salad, garden lettuce salad and desserts, all made from scratch. The memories couldn't be better.  We always had so much fun.

It is no wonder I find myself focused on picnic recipes at this time of year. Updating my recipe collection with some of the cooking we've done in the past few weeks, I decided to feature a few dishes on my blog.

I'll start today with two "potluck" salads.

The first one is "Salad On The Wild Side", which has been one of our family favorites for years. It is a great main course addition to any picnic or summer time potluck dinner.

Paul surprised me last week when I arrived home after a full day of rehearsal with "BBQ Macaroni Salad".

He had found the recipe in a magazine we had checked out of the library. The salad is spicy and works really well with grilled steak. Next time I make the recipe, we will have to take our own photo to replace the one we borrowed from the internet. Try it, you will be surprised!

The smoker is working its magic outside right now. I will follow up tomorrow with the menu we have cooked up for our own little 4th of July party. Enjoy the day!!!

Father's Day 2010

Paul looked forward to his Father's Day weekend with great anticipation.

We made Flank Steak with Chimichuri Sauce for our Father's Day Eve meal. Grilled portobello mushrooms and red onions rounded out our meal. Excellent!

To start the day just right, Nick made an early morning tee time so the two could enjoy a Father-Son round of golf.

Suzanne was at our house by the time they were off of the golf course. We all pushed up our sleeves  and made brunch.

Suzanne and Nick were the main chefs for the day. They have both inherited the serious cook gene!!! In no time, we had a delicious meal of Ricotta Pancakes with Orange Syrup, fresh fruit and bacon.

We laughed often and enjoyed each other's company. I don't remember the last time the four of us sat down in our dining room to eat a meal together.  Father's Day is a great tradition!

These two young people love their father dearly.

And, so do I! Happy Father's Day, Paul.

Right Here In River City!

We are home from our short camping trip. I'll post more about it later.
Here is a teaser:

However, now I must run to the first rehearsal of 

which will be occupying most of my evenings for the next six weeks. I am off to bond with the River "Citizians"! I'll talk to you soon.

Heading Out Of Town

We are heading out on a short camping trip,

feeling the need to do some hiking in the woods

and some cooking around the campfire.

So, we booked our favorite campsite at one of our favorite state parks.

We'll talk to you soon.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a nice weekend here at the Geier Ranch.  One of Paul's orchids burst into bloom on Saturday.

It is so pretty and fragrant. We are just getting organized in the gardening department. I hope by the end of the week to have my patio pots planted. I don't know what we've been doing, but we have yet to accomplish this task.

We had a great lunch with our good friends, Randy and Ari. They coaxed us over to Minneapolis to the Loring Kitchen & Bar for brunch on Sunday. Even Paul, the true blue St. Paulite, enjoyed the outing across the river. He is mellowing in his old age.

Randy was my work partner for seven years and he still talks to me! We had lots of laughs together.

We also had a family gathering at the Simser's.  Joey, who is in Navy Seal training was able to be home for the weekend. The opportunity to spend time with our favorite member of the armed forces made for a perfect Memorial Day.  I am bummed we didn't get a group shot or even a picture of Joey.  However, we did manage to get a few pictures of Haley.

We hadn't seen her since Christmas! What a delightful little personality. She wasn't sure what to think of Great Uncle Butch.

He can be one scary guy!

Paul and I made smoked salmon and steelhead trout in our smoker on Sunday evening and were pretty happy with our first attempt. We will post the recipe after we have made it again.

 We were too focused to remember to take a picture!!!

Auditions for the summer show have cornered my concentration.

Last week we auditioned 100 children and this week we have three nights of auditions for the adults. It is fun to get back to "work".

The camper is patiently waiting for us.

Other than one short trip in two weeks, we have nothing else planned until August.  We finally moved most of our clothes back into the house.  Sigh. 

I'll talk to you soon.