Weekly Challenge Update

Spike napping

Tough couple of weeks for me on the homefront; first all the snow, and my little pug, Spike had to be put down. Still I muddled through and finished a few things!

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge Week 28

Plant something: Nope- just drolled through my seed catalogs- one of the Christmas gifts I received was a gift certificate for Raintree Nursery to purchase my Columnade apple trees!Harvest something: Snow. Yes- snow (see Cooked something new)

Manage something: Got my “outdoor” refrigerator made this week- it is a cabinet at I bought months ago at Boeing Surplus- to put veggies and fruits in.

Cook Something New: Snow Ice cream- I saw a comment Chile posted on Crunchy’s blog and had to try it- pretty good; Cheese fondue- an excellent way to use up the bits of cheese I get from the uneaten cheese form cheese platters I take to parties and such

Snow Ice Cream (Recipe from Chile in a comment post on Crunchy's blog)-

Clean snow for us was usually the freshest (top) snowfall on top of bushes and walls.

(Some sites recommend putting a big bowl outside while it's snowing to catch the snow but we didn't do that.)

So, bring in a big bowl of clean snow.

Add sugar - maybe about a cup for a gallon of snow, and some vanilla extract.

Start stirring in milk, slowly so you don't make it too liquid, until it's just the right consistency for "ice cream".

(rob's note- works well with splenda and/or Aguave Nector for the Diabetics)

Cheese Fondue:

1 clove garlic, halved

3/4 c. beer

2 c. (8 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese

1 c. (4 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese(Note- I added a few slices of pepper jack cheese froma cheese platter I brought home from a party)

1 tbsp. flour

Dash hot sauce
Rub inside of sauce pan with garlic. Add beer, heat slowly. Coat cheese with flour and add to beer. Stir constantly until cheese is melted. Stir in hot sauce. Take pan from stove and transfer to a fondue pan. Dip cubed French bread or bagels in fondue.

Work on Local Food Systems: Not really local, but split a case of Clementine oranges with my mom- that way the case doesn’t go bad on us. Usually does. We figured that would solve the problem.

Re-Cycle, Re-Use, Re-Duce, Repair or Compost something: Put the Christmas boughs in the yard waste bin, used paper clips for ornament hangers; kept all the Christmas cards and made gift tags from them for next year; Reused a candy jar that my cousin gave me a couple of years ago- filled with Cocoa mix for my other cousin along with two mugs I bought last year and never gave out. Took a case of canned dog food (as I know I don't currently have a use for it) and gave it to the Humane Society Pet food drive, as I know there is a big need right now.

Learn a skill: Nothing- Unless you count making fondue a skill. Never made ate a lot of times- in the 70's

MELINDA'S BUY SUSTAINABLY CHALLENGE: Didn’t shop for anything except groceries this week. Bought some side pork for Christmas Dinner from the butchers. Side pork is like bacon and actually come from the belly of the pig.

Beansprout's Make a Christmas Gift Challenge Last post on this one- Gave out the clock I made mom from one of her Pig Cutting boards, haven’t given her the headboard yet due to inclement weather(needed to deliver in the truck- wont fit in my little car) but I know she will love it. And I gave out the jerky and the cocoa cones and a couple of bottles of homemade brandy. Great Christmas this year- most of everything I gave was made by my own two hands!

Crunchy’s Freeze Yer Balls off Challenge: I must admit when the night spike collapsed (Christmas evening) to turning the thermostat up to 70 to keep him warm in the living room. Otherwise my ass is frozen.
Sergeant Chile’s Operation Clean Out- started putting Christmas crap away into the roughneck bins and putting back in the rafters of the garage.