Greatest. Potato. Salad. Ever...

Ok, so I'm deviating slightly, but the potato salad is coming! It's amazing. I took a recipe from Brown Eyed Baker and made it my own. And WOWZA. That's all I can say...

Colorado On My Mind...

So. Do not do this at home, kids... Over 10 hours on the road with no food is never a good thing. 

Kid #2 and I got to Kid #1's house and dropped off the groceries. J. was already at the studio, so we said our goodbyes and got ready to go. We navigated SOUTH so as to avoid Denver, and we joked that, at this point, the car would automatically drive to Garden of the Gods!

Unfortunately, neither of us had a great night's sleep. As I mentioned, the power outage the night before was disruptive, to say the least. It was very weird, and we had no flashlights. Kid #2 walked around with his Surface tablet for a while, so we could brush teeth and get ourselves settled. We weren't sure how long the power would be out, and didn't want to drain the cell phones. 

By the way, I did contact the landlord and suggested that she have nightlights that turned into flashlights/safety lights in the event of a power outage. She thought that was a good idea. 

We didn't get a chance to get ourselves adequately caffeinated, and it showed!! We drove almost straight through to Nebraska except for gas stops, where we did a little stretching... we had fruit, water, and Clif bars. Let me tell you: that wasn't enough! 

Along Rt. 70, there was a long, long, long, L O N G stretch of this 2-lane highway cutting through eastern Colorado that (a) was "under construction;" and (b) covered in fresh oil.  To make matters worse, there's a (c)... As we're stopped for construction (all 5 or 6 cars of us going east), this OIL TRUCK passes us, spraying oil. 

Yes. Spraying oil. All along the front and driver's side of my car, I have black specks. Hubby is not happy. And it's not like we could pull off - we were surrounded by ranches, though I can tell you that several of us would happily have pulled into a rancher's driveway to avoid this... Mainly the guy 2 cars behind me, who was driving what looked like a brand-new Lexus SUV. You know the ones: all glammed out. And worse yet? His car was WHITE... You could practically see the steam coming out of his ears! 

Hubby seems to think that we can get the oil off but we have to take it to a shop. Of course, we had to keep driving, so the sun pretty much baked it on. 

We tried to stop for lunch at this "diner" attached to a gas station in the middle of nowhere. Except that Kid #2 said, "There's an ancient looking hot dog and a half a chicken filet under hot lights." Ummmmmmmm. Nope. 

Like I said, though: don't drive hungry and tired. I had some serious moments of worry that I was being hypnotized by the road, and it worried me. That's usually when I found a place to pull over and get out and walk around a bit. But we should definitely have stopped before we left Colorado Springs and gotten ourselves some sandwiches or something to put in the cooler. 

Nebraska is flat. Pretty, but flat. 

So we got to the hotel, exhausted and hungry. We looked into the Cracker Barrel, and it was a 15+ minute wait. The Kid was HANGRY, so we ended up at King Kong Burgers. Ok, THAT was interesting. A Greek-themed, ape-filled restaurant staffed and owned by Hispanics. Only in Lincoln, Nebraska! 

We were actually across the street from where we stayed at the beginning of the trip. And yes, I mean ape-filled as in: the entire eating area had stuffed monkeys, gorillas and the like hanging off the ceiling, perched on shelves, and tucked into corners. All I could think of  is, "How hard is this to keep clean???" 

The Kid had a burger & fries and I had a (too large) gyro plate. I was hoping, after dinner, to get into my swimming suit and if nothing else, soak my legs in the hot tub or pool. 

But that was not to be. Hotel full of screaming kids. As we were checking in, this chubby little snot kid was licking his fingers and putting them on the plate of cookies on the front desk. Grandpa or whoever it was, was standing there, looking on adoringly, and saying, "Now Billy, take only one." Like ANYONE is going to take any of them after Billy has practically licked them? I'm not even sure the clerk saw it. Yuck. 

We decided to call it a night (still having that "way too light at 9 p.m." thing happening) and I was in bed by 9:30 or so. I did go out to the car to grab my knitting, but after I changed, I was hit by a wave of "tired," and didn't bother to knit a stitch. 

Overnight, there was a lovely thunderstorm. The thunder didn't "blast" like it does here in Illinois, but it seemed to gently roll on and on. It was soothing... I slept like a stone. I didn't quite get the phone in the charger correctly, and it was half-dead the next morning, but I didn't care. I didn't even care that the hotel pillows were wimpy... 

Greatest Potato Salad Ever...

Our third and final candidate is coming to visit tomorrow. My task was potato salad. I was dithering: I wanted something different from what I usually make, and I looked at my Granny's German Potato Salad recipe. 

There's a reason I dislike it... And I wasn't even tempted. So I looked up a recipe for German Potato Salad, and in my searching I found "Best Ever Potato Salad" by Brown Eyed Baker. 

You know - or you should know - that I can't leave a recipe alone! So for Operation Pick a Vicar, I fiddled with this one. 

First, I used Yukon Gold potatoes. I love their texture. The original recipe called for red potatoes, peeled. 

I didn't peel the Yukons. I rarely do. I had Hubby boil up some eggs, because I only had 1 left. 

At the back of the stove, I had a 12-oz. package of bacon crisping. Here's a lovely LIFE HACK from me to you. I bought the bacon this morning, and it was just refrigerated. I took a few slices and tried to cut them up. 

Now, I've got great knives...and I was having trouble with the stupid bacon. I usually dice it up when it's frozen or only half-thawed. 

KITCHEN SHEARS. That's all I have to say. Grab a pair of kitchen shears (and if you don't have them? Why don't you have them??) and cut up that bacon like nobody's business! 

I also used my Whole30 homemade mayo recipe and a Polish mustard. You'll see...

Here's my recipe for Greatest. Potato. Salad. Ever. 

2 - 2.5 lbs. medium Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into cubes
1 (12 oz) package thick-cut bacon, diced
1 c. home-made mayo
1 1/2 t. hot Polish mustard
2 t. coconut sugar
1 t. salt
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (peel them, of course!)
2 stalks celery, diced
6 green onions, chopped (white and pale green parts only)
2 T. Penzey's Sunny Paris blend

Boil the potatoes in salted water till fork-tender. Drain and set aside. 

Meanwhile, cook the bacon over med-hi heat till crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it on a paper-towel lined plate to drain. 

Remove the pan from the heat. Measure out 2 tablespoons of bacon fat; discard the rest (or save it, if you'll use it for something else). Try to keep the "brown bits" in the pan.

Add the mayo, mustard, Sunny Paris, sugar and salt directly to the bacon fat, and whisk to combine. 

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, eggs, celery, and onion. Pour the dressing over the veggies and stir gently to evenly coat. Stir in the bacon. 

Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving (tasting while warm?? YUMMY!!!). Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the fridge, for up to 4 days -- if it lasts that long. 

NOTES:  I like the "rounded" taste of the coconut sugar; it's a brown sugar, but not sticky like brown cane sugar. 

The Polish mustard was a fluke... I'll be honest. I grabbed it at the Polish deli next to my office and I thought it was just a regular, coarse-grained mustard. Oh, no --- there are 4 little pepper icons at the bottom of the label. Yowza, this stuff is HOT. 

The original recipe called for 1 tablespoon of Dijon. I like the spike of the hot Polish mustard. 

I like the Penzey's Sunny Paris because it's salt-free and it's got onions and shallots dried. It's a nice balance for salads. But do stir it into the dressing; otherwise, like with most dried herbs and seasonings, it'll clump together. 

I added more mayo; originally it was only 3/4 cup. Tomorrow, I may add more, because when you stir this all in with warm potatoes, they tend to suck in the mayo. 

As you can see by the picture at the left, it looks as if it's barely covered. I'll see what it looks like tomorrow, and if I need to add more, I will. 

It's likely that I'll end up putting a few sprigs of parsley on it, since I'm growing it in the garden anyway. And maybe some paprika. 

My grandma and my mom both used sliced eggs around the rim of the bowl. That's an option, too. I have plenty of eggs now. 

Random Picture...

There's been a lot of crap going on. Seriously, I can barely read the paper, and my FB feed is clogged with the craziness of the Current Occupant and his nefarious deeds. His cabinet is full of incompetents and the House and Senate are content to let him do his evil work because it provides a useful distraction so that they can dismantle our social safety nets and continue to pad the pockets of their corporate overlords. 

It's late; I'm headed to bed soon. 

And I don't want to be kept up all night stressed out about what Agent Orange is going to pull next. As a matter of fact, I'm seeing stories saying that he's now back to saying that North Korea "is a serious problem." 

Really? I thought he fixed that... 

Anyway. 

Giraffes. 

This was a young male at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. You know how they "all look alike," right? Well. Not really. When you have a chance to study them even for a few minutes, you'll notice that their markings are as individual as our fingerprints. 

I will remember fondly the experience of feeding these gentle giants. 

 

So, It's Been A Trip...

So much has happened since we last chatted. Where to begin?

Sad News...

My lovely MIL passed in April. She was just shy of 89; had lived a good, long, faith-filled life, and died at peace with Whatever Comes Next. 

Seriously, that's what she told my SIL. "I'm ok with whatever comes next. I'm ready."

She didn't die of "anything" in particular. She died of "old." I will remember her as always smiling. Not a silly, Pollyanna, "I'm clueless" kind of smile. But a "hey, world, you can toss crap at me, and I'm ok with it, because I know what's what" kind of smile. 

A kind smile that lit up the room. A welcoming smile that reached out to you so that you may have been a stranger, for a nanosecond or so, but now you were family. 

A smile that said that she was happy doing what she did best: making everyone feel as if they were the most important person she spoke to all day. 

She'll be missed by many, and her children are going to feel her loss all the more because she truly was the anchor of the family. She and my FIL are waltzing up in Heaven. 

Glad News...

Our yoga teacher had her baby. Well, this is glad-ish...he was VERY early. Like 11 weeks early. He's doing OK all things considered, but it's a rocky start for the little man. 

I'm madly knitting away at the sweater. I've got the first sleeve done and I'm working on the right front now. Remember, this is a one-piece rectangle with arms. Only 2 seams! My kind of jacket! Looking at the picture, you see the blue yarn holding the back of the neck and left arm stitches on there.

So I will finish with the right front, take the stitches off the yarn holder and do the left front. Then you fold it over at the shoulder area and seam up under the arms and sides. The trickiest part is actually the 2 buttonholes. 

This is Cascade Superwash Paints; washable wool. I love the sophisticated colorway. I've got 3/4" red buttons for the front. 

If I have enough yarn left, I'll make "baby Uggs" for him. This is a 6-month size, and I was joking that he was so small that FINALLY, a baby will fit in a sweater I make for more than 2 minutes!

More On the Funeral...

So. It would have been NICE to be at the funeral. We weren't. Well, we were. Sort of. 

The family does this "Family Mass" and "Vigil" thing that I had never been exposed to. The body lies at the funeral home. The afternoon before the funeral, his uncle, a former priest, says a family mass. Then we go back to the house, have a dinner, and then head to the church. 

In the meantime, she's brought to the church, and we do a "vigil" with a rosary and then a prayer service. She lies in state in the church; this is open to the community as the "wake." 

Then the next day is the funeral mass and burial. 

We made it in to MT. We got to the house, got to the Family Mass, where we sang as cantors. Then we did the Vigil. We had brought our cameras and were supposed to videotape the funeral for the relatives who couldn't make it out. 

We got up the next morning in Great Falls to see snow. In April, yes. We got ready to hit the road and before 8 a.m., we were out the door. 

Twenty miles out of Great Falls, they closed the highway. This was our view driving back south. 

I let Hubby make the call. I've driven in snow - we live in Illinois! But this was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Our rental was a 2-WD. There were no snow tires. No snow brushes. Not even a shovel. And the slush was grabbing at the tires as if it was determined to pull us into a ditch. 

We're in the mountains, remember, so even cell service is sketchy. It's not like here - if you end up in a ditch, you just call the IDOT Minutemen or a tow truck. You get stuck in the ditch outside of Great Falls, you'd better hope you get stuck in an area where you can call someone. And then hope they come before you run out of gas, because it's going to be hours. And hours. 

As we were going north, they shifted us off onto the Frontage Road. We got to the top of the hill, and the bypass we were supposed to be on had a car on it. Sideways. 

With a snowplow trying to dig it out. The Frontage Road north wasn't even plowed. 

Again, I remind you, this is Montana. It's not like here: you close Rt 55, then you can take Rt. 57... The next highway going north is right at the base of the Rockies. If they haven't plowed THIS road, they surely haven't plowed that one. 

So we turned off, pointed ourselves south, and almost slid into a ditch. It took another hour to get back to Great Falls. I was heartbroken, but the family was rather philosophical about it all. 

"It's April. Blizzards happen, and the farmers are doing a happy dance with all this snow!"

She was a twin. Her twin brother had died in the spring, and the highways were closed by a freak blizzard. But HE had the good sense to wait till he was buried before the highways closed!

She had a statement to make, I guess. The highways closed before! Half the town had no power; they weren't even sure if the church would have heat and lights. Those who were in town already attended. Those of us who were in Great Falls were unable to do so. But again - springtime in the Rockies!

The Chalice...

So at the family Mass, Fr. Jim had a chalice. He explained the symbols on it, and I thought you'd like to see it. I got to carry it across the room, since he and Hubby moved the temporary altar before the Mass started. It's quite heavy. 

Look closely. See the gold ring right under the "bowl" of the chalice? That's the wedding ring of Hubby's great-grandmother. 

The black stone is a stone from their "home-place" - the homestead where they grew up. Jim had it polished up and carved to fit the chalice. 

At the base, you'll see a small ruby in a little filigree design. That's Great-Grandma's engagement ring. 

The symbols of this chalice are amazing. 

RIP Jawbone...

So I got a Jawbone. I wanted a fitness band that wasn't obnoxious. I wear a watch, as you can see, and I don't want to NOT wear a watch. I don't want something whiz-bang that sends me email, gives me voicemails and does weather reports. I want a thing that counts my steps and tells me how I slept. 

(Though in truth, most mornings, I absolutely KNOW how the night before went!) 

Anyway, the Jawbone was unobtrusive, so I went with that. I also like the neutral color of the band. Hubby has a clunky looking one, and he's looking to replace it with a watch-like device. I didn't want all the "stuff" or "functions" that they have. Just want steps and sleep. 

And today, I had to get it replaced. After only 4 months, it wasn't holding a charge and the metal band part was separating, so it never fully connected to the charger. 

I had a lovely "chat" with the help people, and they're sending out a new one. 

I still like it. I like the basic functions, and I like the fact that it's not showy. My watch tells me the date, keeps time, and glows in the dark. That's all I need from that. And the Jawbone keeps track of the rest of it. 

It has encouraged me to move more. I'm also using my arm-sized hula hoops, which has done good things for my upper body strength. I figure that all of the movement combined is a good thing. 

Sadly, it doesn't track knitting! 

I should have the new one in about 10 days. 

Random Picture...

...and random act of kindness. 

I'm friends with a gal named Lulu, and we met during our elephant journal internship. She's still writing more than I am and I think she's editing for them. I wish - but life took me in another direction. 

She is taking watercolor classes and she happened to post this picture. I complimented her on it, saying, "I'd hang that in my office!" 

Next thing you know, it's in the mail to me!  I took it to Michael's and got it framed. What do you think?

Isn't it gorgeous? The framer was also very pleased. Not only with how it turned out (which is beautiful) but with the actual picture. She's a watercolor artist, and she said Lulu's technique was lovely. 

Of course I repeated that to her! It's a beautiful picture, given with love, and framed with love. It's not hanging at my office. 

I hung it in my living room so I could see it every day. Well, hopefully next time there won't be so much time between entries. Till then!