First Time Potato and Ham Soup!

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When it’s cold out I want soup. When I am stressed I want soup. (Well I want to chop stuff up and soup lets me do that.)Last week was just cold, damp and gloomy. So I was in the soup making mood.

When our last week of hunters drive away. That is my cue to begin cleaning out the hunting house and bringing all the food back to my house. With the power outage, I had more than my usual amount of food to bring home and some needed cooked. I had two bags of the diced ham. I use it for a ham, egg, cheese, and hash brown breakfast casserole. My kids won’t eat it, and I hate eggs. (Yes, long story, but I detest them.)  So I needed to use it up.

Searching online I found several ham and potato soup recipes. I am notorious for reading 10 recipes and then using parts of all of them. It usually works out okay, until I go to make it again and have no idea what I did. This is one of those instances, but I think I remember pretty good.

Well I pulled out the pot and away we went.  I actually turned out delicious. My overly picky son, devoured it. He even took it to school in his lunch the next day and wanted it for supper. So it is a make again recipe.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ham and Potato Soup

  • 3-4 large potatoes, cut into small pieces
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 6 cups water, or enough to cover the potatoes
  • 1-2 pkgs diced ham,
  • 1/2 stick butter, softened
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons Watkins Chicken flavoring or bullion granules
  • salt, to taste
  • pepper, to taste
  • 3-4 tbsp flour to thicken
  • 3 cups, milk or more to thin

1. Combine the potatoes, onion, ham, and water in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, cook over medium heat until tender.  Stir in the chicken flavoring, salt, and pepper.

2. Stir together butter and flour until combined. Add to the soup mixture.  Stir until dissolved. Add the milk. Stir over medium low heat until thick and soup is heated through.

3. Adjust with more thickening or thinning until you reach the desired consistency. Season to taste.

This is a great soup because you can add to it with more ham, maybe cheese. Serve it as thick or as thin as you desire.

John’s Pajama Project

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How many times do I need to start a new project? Who knows? But it is often. I have baskets of yarn that I was crocheting and knitting last fall. However quilting has been my latest craze. It is time consuming, mind boggling, extremely tedious, and absolutely fun!

My dear son, who has the sweetest soul, has been saving all the pajamas his Grandmother Tennessee has made him over his ten years of life. (I am originally from Tennessee and the kids started calling my parents Pop Tennessee and Grandmother Tennessee when they were little. It has just stuck) All for his mother to make into a quilt someday.  He has worn all of these. Some are thread bare in areas, while others were only on his little body for one short lived slumber.  They are all sorts of patterns from Christmas, to western with horses,  to pink with skunks for Valentine’s Day and everything in between.IMG_00000504

Look at that pile of pajamas! And the Mess! I should have cleaned that up. But sewing is messy right?

After I finished my mom’s Christmas present of the Carpenter’s Star quilt. John set me up to begin his quilt.  Oh dear I have dreaded this. We went through pattern after pattern on the internet and he finally decided on what he wanted.  I gathered up all the pajamas and took them down stairs to the table.

Oh Dear!! The kids were upstairs and I must say I was a sight to behold.  I unfolded those little pants and tops. I can remember him wearing each one and how adorable he looked.  The more I looked I found smaller and smaller ones and the tears just flowed and flowed. Is he really almost 10! Has he really outgrown these. Surely not!

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See this little shirt. I mean could you cut that up.

I look at that and I can see that little boy wearing it. I’m crying again.

I laid the spiderman pants down on the cutting board. Your kidding me! I have to cut these up!! I really have to cut these up.  I can’t. I couldn’t. They are perfect. They are not even worn out. Someone could wear these. John can surely wear these. It was a hideous battle in my head.  Then I took the cutter and Zip. Away went the elastic and it started. I cut up the pants into as many six inch squares as I could.

Then I looked at the top. I don’t think that I need that much. So the tops were spared. Yes I know it is silly. But I just couldn’t do it. What is it about being a mother and keeping these baby clothes.

Pajama Squares

I made progress. I cut up three different ones.

It’s amazing I got that far with all the crying and holding and crying. Did I mention I was crying.

As I began to sew them into half squares. I realized that the little pajamas would be made into something that would last much  longer than his ability to wear them. Once the quilt is finished, he will be able to take Grandmomma Tennessee with him always and see all that she made for him. He will look at those squares and remember that outfit. (and if he forgets, I can show him the pictures). He will snuggle under the warmth that is provided by all those years of winter night garments.  How could I not see that it is even better than storing them just to take out of the box and cry over. I will be giving new life to his little clothes.

I admit progress is slow on this one. I will keep you updated, but for now I am at least cutting!

It will be interesting to see if he sticks with the pinwheel design. I think I will keep all the squares free before I sew them together. Just in case he changes his mind.

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Poor Joe with his cast January 2013

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Poor Joe with his cast January 2013

Joe was jumping off a 4- wheeler to gather cattle, when his front leg snapped in half. He yelped once and that was it, he never made another sound. He spent months being locked up and becoming a house buddy. ( which by the way be loved.) He has healed and although he can’t go as long out trailing he does go, but catches a ride from someone on the 4-wheelers when he needs it.

Here we go.

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Can I rant a little? Well of course it’s my little blog, in my little world. We live on miles, I mean Miles of dirt roads. It’s awesome. Who doesn’t love a good dirt road. No one comes down our road unless it’s the UPS driver or oilfield traffic. Basically we are in our own little civilization here. What could be better? What could be bad about it right? Wrong.

Dirt roads bring dust. Not really an issue until there are 30 or more semi trucks delivering water to the wells. Let’s just say going slow is not one of their finer skills. I will say dust I can handle. It could be worse.

Oh wait it is. Next comes mud. That’s right when the snow melts as it has this last few days, it seeps into our tired deprived ground and creates a wonderful layer of slippery goo. If mud bogging was a skill, let me say I am up there. I can rooster tail with the best of them. Well mine is not on purpose, but I can do it. Mud also creates ruts. Deep truck rocking ruts. When the road is driven on over and over and then the mud dries the ruts are deep. They pull your tires in and keep you in the tracks. It can rattle your teeth at times let me just say. I could slow down a little more, but I am also racing something. Usually it’s beating the clock to get somewhere on time.

Well yesterday our road had basically dried up. You could walk outside with out the need for muck boots. But that tricky mother nature, she loves me. I can tell she does. Last might it started raining and it rained, and it rained. So that it was a muddy, sticky, gooey mess outside.

Today was vet day. Yes I scheduled all four dogs to go in and see my amazing Dr. Root. (aka best vet ever). I let the dogs in at about 4:30 am when the rain got bad. Of course my Jipsey was already in, snuggled up on our bed. It’s awful I know.

When the kids were ready, I went out in my trusty Muck boots and started the truck and spread out a sheet on the back seat. I could not have my dogs getting the truck muddy. I then realized that one of the kids would have to sit on back with the dogs. So I devised a plan. Yes, it’s possible. I decided to carry each dog individually out to the truck, so that they would not have muddy feet. Oh my gosh. The three females were no problem. Our big red and white border was different. Since breaking his leg in half. Yes completely compound fractured and completely disgusting. He has healed, but in his confinement of about 10 months, he has gained some weight.  Now he is a large dog anyway.

Let me say I am small. Yes, I will admit I am vertically challenged. At 5 foot 2 inches, this dog is about as long as me. So you can just picture me trying to carry this dog in slippery gooey mud to the truck and once there I had to open the door. My goodness that was a task. I am surprised we didn’t fall and both of us roll in that muck.

We made it to the vet. The kids made it to school. They even remember to switch shoes before they got out of the truck. Oh the life!

It’s Time!

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There is something about the giving away of summer and the entrance of fall. Yes, fall. Not the abrupt jumping of seasons that winter tried to do last week, but the gradual entrance of fall. I look forward to this every year. I for one detest summer. The hot long days of cow work or just the blinding heat that keeps you trapped inside an overly hot house. Ugh! You can’t cook because nothing sounds good, plus who wants to heat up the house even more. I for one am a cooker. I cook for fun, when I am stressed, or depressed, or when I have nothing to do. Okay I always have something to do, so if I am avoiding doing something I should be doing, I cook instead.   It is what I do. A terrible habit I must admit!

Well fall brings with it my inability to stop myself from cooking everything. It’s time again for cookies, pies, and soups. Oh, how I love to cook a good soup. Plus it is almost time for the holidays and the cooking gets even more intense. Oh I just love this time of year.

We have an outfitting business and I do all the cooking. It is so much fun and I cook until I am tired of standing in the kitchen.   My poor hands crack from the constant dishes, but it is so darn fun. Well I have leftover supplies that I being back over to my house. This year one of the things I just never used was a two pound bag of pecans. I mean what was I thinking to buy that big of a bag. I hate nuts in anything. They are just odd. Well this morning as I was putting away all the supplies this bag of pecans just kept pulling me. I couldn’t help myself. I usually wait till closer to the holidays, but I couldn’t I had to make the most fabulous thing possible with pecans and in my world quite possible the only thing I make with pecans, Candied sugared holiday pecans.  These are so good. Oh I could eat them all. I really could. Over time of course. You must try these. They will be a hit with everyone. Even non nut eaters like myself will be begging you to make more. Trust me do this, do it soon.

Sugared Candied Holiday Pecans

  • Servings: 10-12
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

  • 1 lb pecans whole
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sugar

1. In a large bowl combine the egg white and water. Whisk until frothy. Add the  pecans to the bowl and mix until coated well. Let sit for 2-3 minutes to moisten well.

2. In a small bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour over the pecans. Mix thoroughly until all the pecans are coated with the sugar mixture. Pour onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 200 degrees for 1.5 hours. Stir once. Let cool on cookie sheet. Break apart and store in an airtight container.

A Wonderful Pain in the Tail

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I resigned from teaching in February of 2013, to stay home and help on the ranch. I had taken a leave of absence the year before to see if my mind could handle not teaching. There is something about teaching that enables your mind to always grow.  New challenges and learning from the students keeps my mind busy and active  I know it sounds weird but if I’m not doing something my brain aches.  I feel like I have to learn something new all the time and challenge myself.

Well I found that with ranching there was lots for me to learn and time to begin new hobbies. Oh and also the fact that I needed to be the taxi for my growing kids.   At times I wish I was teaching, I think life was less hectic then. But kids will grow, and need taken to various activities and if I was teaching, well they wouldn’t get to go.

We raise red angus cattle and use border collie dogs to help with just about every aspect of life on the ranch. We had three awesome dogs. They worked great. However when we moved cows it seems I was always left with no dog, because they are extremely loyal to my husband. Yes, he can tell them to stay or even just leave one. But the moment they hear a command he gives ton another dog, they too must go over to show themselves, how dare they be left with this boring lady.   So alas I am always alone and darn it sometimes you need a dog to get those cattle moving.

In November of 2012, I flat decided I was getting a dog. Not just any border would do, I wanted a registered red and white. So I found Abingdon Border Collies out of Oregon. I ordered my little Jipsey and she flew into Casper.

At three months old she is working with no fear.   Now that’s great. However she is my puppy. That means special treatment. Yes, she sleeps in our bed. Oh, she is bathed often and really doesn’t care for the delightful scent of oatmeal that her doggie shampoo gives her. But she gets it anyway.

She has had her moments in training. Her first big trailing of yearlings she just didn’t know where to be so she chased yearlings till she ended up right in the middle and then was so mesmerized by all the yearlings around her, she just laid down. Yep, smack dab in the middle. When those of us on horseback got to her, she was wide eyed and just lost. It was the funniest thing. Of course she hadn’t really mastered commands, so getting her back to me wasn’t going to happen.

She also has a passion for chasing anything near the house. She must be watched like a hawk. My husband came in a couple of weeks ago carrying fencing stretchers and told me “your dog is tied up outside, you have two gates to fix. “. Yes, my sweet dog chased our long horns and the kids cow calf pairs from 4-H through two pastures. She can definitely cause a wreck.

Well yesterday we moved 200+ pair on the mountain and she did a darn good job. We had some really snotty mommas who were not real excited to have this dog chasing them. They took her more than I can count, but Jipsey just circled around and put them into the herd. The more she works, the more she is coming into her own. Plus she stays with me and that is the best.

She is the sweetest little thing, and a very aggressive working dog. However like all dogs sometimes she is just a pain in the tail.