Saturday, October 25

Chicken Empanadas

I must be hungry! These not only sound good but also easy!


Chicken Empanadas

   Fold crescent dough around a  mix of ingredients to make an elegant, super simple hot meal from the RV oven. The secret to any filled pastry is not to over-fill.

2 tubes, 8 rolls each,  crescent rolls
Small can deviled ham
1 ½ cups cooked, shredded  chicken (preferably unseasoned)
6-ounce can or jar sliced mushrooms, well drained
About 1 cup shredded low-sodium Swiss cheese
Low-sodium French dressing (optional)

Set the oven to 350 degrees. Unroll crescents and divide into 8 squares. Gently press seams together. On each place a blob of deviled ham, a few mushrooms, some chicken and a tuft of cheese. Drizzle ½ teaspoon of French dressing over each. Fold in half to form triangles and press edges with a fork to seal.  Bake about 20 minutes or until toasty. Makes 8 servings.

Friday, October 24

We have landed.

We are in our spot at Walnut Canyon RV Park in Canyon Lake Texas and will be here till mid November. Part of our thought process on this is we hurry on down to the Rio Grande Valley and then often times run the AC for a month. So we have a bunch of friends in the Canyon Lake area ( north of San Antonio) so why not stay here for a while and let it cool off in the good ol' RGV. We have often thought it would be a good idea to stop further north for a while but could never decide where to stop. Well now we have. At least for this year.
Our 3rd travel day went smoothly for the most part. There is tons of construction on 281 for anyone thinking of coming down this way. The most of it is from I-20 south to Lampasas Texas. It would not be bad in a car but it makes for narrow roads in a motorhome or 5th wheel. There are lane and edge drop offs for miles and miles. Butch decided to stop once and pulled off the road not realizing it was a big drop off. He threw things around in the motorhome pretty good. Fridge popped open with water bottles on the floor, laundry doors came open sending soap and vinegar bottles scattering. It took a while for clean up. It was probably the worst such incident we have had like that.
We are parked next to Gary and Lou who came to Iowa this summer and ended up helping us for a couple of weeks on our 3 season room for which we were very grateful.
After we were a bit settled in we went to the local VFW and met up with other SMR/ Canyon Lake friends for burgers and fries. And now we are home and I am trying to get caught up on the computer while Butch is watching the series.
All is good!

All Ability Bikes is a great addition

All Ability Bikes is a great addition to our town of Jefferson Iowa and they were recently featured on the news.
http://www.kcci.com/news/anyone-can-ride-with-new-cycling-innovation/29289206

Thursday, October 23

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Thursday, October 23, 2014
Yes, we had a wonderful nights sleep in Hesston KS, filled up at a Casey's and were on the road about 9:00 AM. Road construction through Wichita made things a bit dicey but we got through without incident. Oklahoma city went fairly smooth as well. The funny stuff happened south of Oklahoma City. We saw a homemade "armored vehicle" go by us. It was towing a small red pickup. A few miles further down the road we noticed something  strange with a line of traffic pulled over to the side. The funny looking armored vehicle was sideways in the roadway and we could tell it had swerved severely as it was facing to the north in the southbound lane and had lost much of its load from the red pickup. Actually the red pickup was nearly annihilated.  And then as we went further down the road, Butch said," What in the world is that in the road?" It was a chair and a TV. They were in the middle of the passing lane on I 35 southbound. Strange things are happening!
We decided to stay at the Winstar RV Park at Thackerville OK. It is right on the border actually, you take exit 1 either northbound or southbound and it is connected to the Windstar casino. Usually the casinos are quite accommodating to RVers but not here. It is $35 a night with a players card. $40 without. So this is most likely a one time occasion. We had tried to find our way to this campground in the past but always on the fly. This time we used the Google map feature on the smartphone. It is one of the most confusing routes to a casino we have ever tried to find. And there is no WIFI! Wouldn't you think they would have that?? Found out later they do have wifi. Have to jump through a few hoops to get it but is working great right now.
Tomorrows trip will take us to our destination in Walnut Canyon RV Park in Canyon Lake TX.
We have been listening to The Secret of Magic. In 1946, a young female attorney from New York City attempts the impossible: attaining justice for a black man in the Deep South. 
We thought our battery would trickle out before we arrived here but it didn't and now I can get it charged up for tomorrows leg.
Well Butch is ready to go to the casino. Hopefully I can get this posted soon.
PS: I took a $5 bill to the casino and came home without it after two hours of play. Not bad. Butch spent a bit more than that but the casino was successful in doing what casinos do-take your money!

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Trip from Jefferson to Hesston KS. 425 miles. On the outer limits of a travel day. In the 350 range is much better. We had planned to stay in Concordia KS, 317 miles, at the city park for a donation but we could not find the park. We may plan to stay there another time but I will call the city and get better directions than is currently provided on www.freecampgrounds.com . So we went another 100 miles or so to where we are now. We were both ready to stop.
We did see and had to deal with a cow on the road. Butch spotted it far enough ahead to avoid disaster.
So now we are settled into a Passport America park. Cottonwood Grove Campground, Hesston KS. We have been Passport America members for quite some time. Participating parks have half price rates and your membership dues are quickly reimbursed in a couple of stays. So this $30 a night park is costing us $15. We do not have Internet here but we knew that was a possibility. One of the bennies we do have is a Chinese restaurant about 50 feet from our door.  A VERY good Chinese restaurant named the Panda House. And we do have good TV coming from Wichita most likely. Another unit came in and parked beside us. They unloaded a family of 3 people and  3 llamas out of the toy hauler . They took the llamas a ways away and let them graze in a fenced-in area a short distance from the park. I'm thinking horses get their turn in that pasture on occasion. We are in horse country.
We are both looking forward to bed time and I doubt we will have any trouble getting a full and restful night of sleep.
We do have to apologize to our Snow Mountain Ranch friends Jerry and Diane Larson. In planning our trip it did not occur to us how close we were to your Kansas home. And by then all we could think of was stopping and resting. We were so tired we would not have been good company. I make these notes on the blog so I have ready info for another trip this way. This is a good way to go. Very trouble free in all ways. We usually go through Missouri to see our kids and this is the first time we have ventured off our tried and true path for a very long time. We felt it was time to get a bit out of our comfort zone. So perhaps when I review the blog for another trip this way, we can plan a bit better and see the Larson's.

Tuesday, October 21

On the road tomorrow

Been busy little beavers the past few days getting ready to go. It was so much simpler when we lived only in the motorhome. Then we only decided on a date. But now that we are property owners we have many more duties to take care of.

Keri has us set up with travel munchies, Mickey treated us to a Runza send off meal. All is grateful and all is good.
When I started out this morning I thought how in the world will I get all this stuff in the motorhome but lo and behold I did it with room to spare. I was shocked and amazed that it all fit.

We are taking a different route this year heading west to York NE then south to Canyon Lake TX. We should arrive sometime Friday. We usually keep the trips to 300-350 miles per day.

This year we also have a smartphone with good old Google to guide us. I have long used Google maps to plan our trips and then I would print out the sheets. But now I have smartphone help and better yet I have practiced with it and it has worked very well. I say, "Okay google, directions to .......city" Google maps comes up and shows where we are currently and how to get to the next city or town indicated.  We have made this trip several times. The only difference this time is the first day of travel. After that it will be somewhat familiar.

So this is my last night of for-sure Internet. From here to the Rio Grande Valley will be hit or miss for me so keep that in mind. I can continue to write but getting them from computer to cloud might be the tough part.

I have been so busy of late that much has happened the past few days. My friend Norma Cooklin came to Jefferson to visit us and see our tiny abode in person. She is getting along great with her new Chromebook.
She did however take a tumble about a week ago and broke her knee cap in two places. She was in such good physical shape before this happened that she is handling it better than you might expect. She does have daughter Vicki and her husband John helping care for her. She is required to keep her leg straight for 6 to 8 weeks but her spirits are good and she is minding the doctor. It was good to see her.

So till next you hear...see you soon!

Sunday, October 19

Wednesday October 22nd departure

We have decided to leave on Wednesday because it is supposed to rain on Thursday. As good an excuse as any.
The weather has been wonderful this past month, best of the entire season. The winter prediction for this region is what they are calling equal. I am assuming that means either/or. In other words it could go either way.
The entire southern tier of states including Florida, Texas and Arizona is predicted to be wet. Oh yeah, we all three say in unison. There is usually what I call the winter lottery and one of the three winter areas has better weather than the other two. Last year Arizona was the big winner because they had the best weather they had had for nearly 30 years. Texas was the worst it had ever been in many peoples memories and Florida was moderate all the way around. Personally I hope they are wrong about the wet. They, being the weather predictors  have been wrong before and that is keeps me hopeful.

So with our departure date in mind we can work at getting ready today. And a reminder for all of the readers...my internet connection could be quite spotty for nearly a month so lower your expectations for posts on a regular basis.

Friday, October 17

Last Saturday's JIGS and Cheesy Egg Puffs

We had a light attendance at last Saturdays meeting at 209 Main and one of the highlights was Toni bringing her egg muffin recipe. Toni had gifted me with some of her muffins a couple of years ago and I had requested her recipe. It makes an excellent item to have in the freezer on our trip south. On any trip really. And they are mighty tasty!

Recipe:   Cheesy Egg Puffs      
Category: Breakfast/Brunch
Author:   Toni Roberts

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 green onions, chopped
1 Tablespoon plus 1/2 cup butter or margarine, divided
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 eggs lightly beaten
4 cups (16 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 cups (16oz) small-curd cottage cheese

In a skillet, saute the mushrooms and onions in 1 tablespoon butter until tender. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl combine eggs and cheeses. Melt remaining butter;add to egg mixture. Stir into dry ingredients along with mushroom mixture.
Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full; Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until a knife inserted towards the center comes out clean. Carefully run a knife around
edge of muffin cups before removing. Yield: 2 1/2 dozen.
Toni's notes:
"I use 1 dozen eggs for one recipe and 2 dozen eggs for a double recipe. I double all the ingredients EXCEPT the onions and mushrooms for a double recipe. Makes 5 dozen doubled. Freezes well- Microwave 30 seconds for a fast breakfast."

Wednesday, October 15

Bike Trail pics in October





Spaghetti Pie

My original Spaghetti Pie recipe called for a full pound of ground beef, but now I only use half a pound per pie. I find half a pound to be more than enough. This recipe could also be made with ground turkey, Italian bulk sausage, TVP (texturized vegetable protein), or no meat (or meat substitutes) at all.
SPAGHETTI PIE (from: Frozen Assets)
(6 servings)
  • 6 oz. dry spaghetti noodles
  • 2 tbsp butter or margarine
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 2 well-beaten eggs
  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 (8-oz.) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes (don’t drain)
  • 1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp dried oregano, crushed
  • 1/2 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup cheese (your choice: mozzarella, cheddar, American, or Moneterey Jack), shredded
Cook spaghetti noodles. Drain. Stir margarine into hot noodles until melted. Stir in Parmesan cheese and eggs. Form pasta mixture into a crust shape in a buttered 9-inch pie plate. In skillet, cook ground beef and onions until meat is browned. Drain. Stir into ground beef, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar , oregano and garlic. Heat through. Spread cottage cheese over bottom of spaghetti crust. Top with tomato/meat mixture. Sprinkle grated cheese over all. Cover pie pan with foil; label and freeze.
To Serve: Thaw. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes at 350 F. Remove foil and bake for 5 minutes more until cheese is lightly browned.

Tentative

We have a tentative leaving date of next Tuesday. We have made ourselves a cozy little nest here and for the first time we might be content to stay but we still have enough 'winter memory' stored up to know that half way through we would be living in regret city. So our next week will be getting the motorhome and ourselves ready to roll.

"Just Enough"
by Lisa Gocochea-

'I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain
so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish enough 'Hello's' to get you through the final 'Goodbye.'

Monday, October 13

Leo's Birthday

It was Leo's birthday yesterday and Keri invited us out for supper to help him celebrate and celebrate we did. We had Leo's favorites-Pot roast, corn and French silk pie. And it was prepared by Keri of course so you know it wasn't just any old pot roast. Leo was able to Skype with grandson Brady so his day was complete. And just so you know, Leo does not have old coot status yet but he is only a couple years away from it.

Sunday, October 12

For Kindle people

I purchased both of these books. There is a deadline so If you want them you have to jump right on it.  I have a big backlog of books on my kindle and when I go back over them I most likely cannot remember why I chose it in the first place but I do know it appealed to me for some reason. I have not rejected very many in my years as a kindle owner.

Just deserts by jinx schwartz

Just Deserts

By Jinx Schwartz

From an award-winning author: With her yacht drydocked for repairs, engineer and spunky adventurer Hetta Coffey takes a mining job on the border — and soon finds herself chasing smugglers, terrorists, and one strangely domesticated coyote…

Free!

Originally: $2.99
Get Deal
Deal ends: Unknown
Category: Mysteries

When you were older by catherine ryan hyde

When You Were Older

By Catherine Ryan Hyde

The New York Times bestselling author of Pay It Forward crafts the moving, provocative tale of Russell, who leaves the city to rebuild a life with his estranged, brain-damaged brother. A heartrending journey of unexpected solace with over 400 five-star reviews on Amazon.

$0.99

Originally: $5.99
Get Deal
Deal ends: October 12
Categories: Bestsellers, Literary Fiction

Saturday, October 11

Farewell gathering

We had a gathering of Jefferson friends for a party in our new room last night. It was fun with much lively conversation about many things present and past. Some of this group will be heading south soon so we took this opportunity to say goodbye to those who remain and thank them for keeping things running smoothly while we are gone. wink, wink.
I had my camera ready to get some photos but as often happens I became enchanted by talk and totally forgot to take any shots of people having fun.

I will get another chance today as 209 Main is the location for a J.I.G.s gathering, the last I will be going to this season.

Casino walls are rising

Jefferson has 3 major construction projects going on, the medical center, Hy-vee and the casino. And there is about to be a 4th with McFarland Clinic being built on the east side of the Hy-Vee building. Soon the senior citizens of Jefferson can have a doctors appointment, physical therapy, pick up their prescriptions and buy their groceries in the same location and it is within one block of downtown Jefferson.
Photographer was Leo Brooker 

Wednesday, October 8

Blood Moon Experience

I woke up at 4:30 am and checked out the moon and it was starting to eclipse so I popped outside for a better view forgetting that the door can be opened from the inside but remain locked when it is closed. Fortunately I was able to tap on the window and get Butch's attention. He rescued me. We both dressed for the viewing in winter coats and hats and watched the moon become a blood moon from our backyard where we had a perfect view of it. I tried to get good photos but it did not happen so I said surely my cousin Howard who is an excellent photographer will put some great pictures on Facebook as he usually does and then I will "snip" them. So far he hasn't but this lady in Port Aransas Texas did so I "snipped" her pictures. Our moon had the sliver of light more evenly on the right side. That too was interesting.


And then...we went back to bed and slept for a couple more hours.

Tuesday, October 7

Enhanced


Ordinary Days

Colleen and I changed our walk time to 1:00 PM. I have not made the mental adjustment yet. It just feels oddly strange to be walking at midday. I will adjust.
 I am doing in-between stuff. Been working on jewelry again. Getting our head geared towards a trip south. It is October after all and that is what we do in October. First thing you know we will be hauling our essentials out to the motorhome. Makes me tired just to think about it.

The light is very different at our new walk time and I took advantage of that to take these pics.
 These artistic renditions were made by another talented member of the class of '61, Keith Conroy. And you thought I was finished with telling you about the talents of the Jefferson Iowa class of '61. I thought I was too.

Sunday, October 5

Missouri weekend

We do not see our Missouri kids all that often. We usually manage a weekend with them when we head south in the fall and again when we head back in the Spring. This Fall we decided to drive the car instead of the motorhome to Peculiar for a visit with our Missouri family.

I have taken many pictures and when I get it figured out how to get them on here using my chromebook you will see them or you will have to wait till I get back to my reliable Toshiba and the way I can do it without thinking. I did not bring my camera, thinking the phone camera would be easier. Easier it is but I have discovered two things; I get better pictures with my camera and it is easier to transfer pictures to the chromebook from the camera. Now I need to remember it.

The great grands are always a pleasure and it is so much fun watching their progress as little humans. Little Miss Elise comes up with the darndest things. Such as, she says to her Nana Susan, "I want to live with you because you love me and you will always be kind." Truly this is the kind of stuff this girl comes up with! And little Leo is a wonder too at the things he does at 17 months of age. He was riding a pony for the first time and his mom said," Tell Kelsey thank you." Kelsey was the girl who was walking the pony. Little Leo leaned over, patted the pony and said, "Thank you."

So these are photos out of order...
Sunday Morning Breakfast
This is a waffle with Strawberries Romanoff

(Makes 4 small servings, recipe inspired by Strawberries Romanoff at Le Parisien Restaurant.)
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sour cream (I use light sour cream, but never fat free)
1 T Stevia In the Raw Granulated Sweetener
1 T brown sugar
(You can use all Stevia or all brown sugar, or any combination of sugar/ sweetener that you prefer.)
Instructions:
Be sure to buy the reddest and ripest strawberries you can find for best flavor. Rinse strawberries, then cut big ones into fourths and smaller ones into halves. Put cut strawberries into a medium-sized bowl
In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and sweetener, brown sugar, or a combination of the two. Taste for sweetness to see if you want to add more sweetener. Gently combine sour cream mixture with cut strawberries, divide into four small dishes, and serve.

 Elise and morning cartoons
 Papa Gary with Little Leo
                                               Another vacuum boy!
                                            Nana Susan with Leo
                                             Elise is a rider too
                                          Elise with the queen of the Burnt District Festival in Harrisonville MO
                                            Elise and Leo driving the firetruck. Little Leo took this very seriously never taking his hands off the steering wheel. Should be a good driver except for the no fear factor. They both have that.

                                                These two are buddies.
 
Leo beat Elise to the engine but she gave in gracefully. Always does when it comes to her little brother.            

Elise on the Dragon Wagon all by herself. Fearless.

Elise on the swing all by herself, laughing and giggling the whole time. She thanked the carnival worker when he helped her off the swing and he said, "You are welcome, Princess." She said, "I am a princess." This gave him a chuckle.
There was one ride that Elise did twice with her Nana Susan and that was the Tilt-o-Whirl. She loves carnival rides!!

Mom Amanda getting the kiddoes  ready for the ride to the festival.

Coach Brooker at the football game in Drexel, far right on the sideline. I took this shot just to prove I was there.
I finally figured out the photo problem. 
When making a blog entry, click on the photo entry as usual but then click on 'more' and choose 'from phone'.

Thursday, October 2

Touring Jefferson


  1. Belltower- May go up to the top anytime, contact the Chamber office Ph.515-386-2155
  2. Courthouse- If you go up in the Belltower first they will give you info about the courthouse or for a guided tour of the courthouse step into the engineers office and someone will assist you. The engineers office is located in the southwest area of the first floor.
  3. All Abilities Bikes-As the name implies they have bicycles for anyone regardless of physical conditions.
  4. Jefferson Gardens- A tribute to our namesake
  5. Sally’s Alley- Sally White from Churdan was a great nature photographer. Some of her pictures grace the boarded up windows of the Lincoln Hotel.
  6. RVP 1875-Woodworking done in same way as was done in 1875.  http://rvp1875.com/
  7. Angies Tea Garden- A great place to eat and the gentlemen should not be intimidated by the name. The food is done with care and the amounts are hearty enough to fill most men. Excellent! Hours: Tue - Fri 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
  8. Greene Bean Coffee House- Well liked stopping place https://foursquare.com/v/greene-bean-coffee/519c1dd4abd8e5210eea3207
  9. The Printers Box- located on the south side of the square and a great place to browse for unusual items.
  10. Ben Franklin- an old fashioned dime store and a great place to spend some time shopping.
  11. John:15 Vineyard- Not a winery but a vineyard and so much more. Like the treehouse and the golf course and the barn-www.john15vineyard.com/  
  12. Pleasant Hill Cemetery near Pleasant Hill Church and Squirrel Hollow Park.
  13. A & W root beer stand
  14. Dairy Queen
  15. The Hill Golf Course-Single annual membership $150
  16. 209 Main- Paton Iowa- a great place to eat with a fantastic entrepreneurial story.