On the Up Swing

If you don't already know, we are trying to sell our home.  I've had a blog about our home up and it never seems to get any hits but I just noticed that it has actually been getting some hits lately.  Hmmm...maybe the economy really is on the up swing.  So I thought this would be a good time to post my house blog site on my family blog site and do some collaborative blogging.  All the info is on the blog, including contact info.  We're also up for trading with someone in the KY, TN area and/or renting to someone if the circumstances are right.  So go over and take a look.  Even if you're not in the market you might know someone who knows someone, who works with someone, who has a cousin who's sister-in-law wants to buy a house in Winterset.  Besides more hits on the blog make me happy.  You want to make me happy don't you?  :-)  http://2485hiattappletrl.blogspot.com/
 

The Dipper

Sometimes on a hot and humid day like this I get to feeling a little nostalgic.  I'll announce to Byron that I'm having a Dipper craving.  He usually says, "Okay,  I'll go get ya one.  Be back in 23 hours."  Now if you grew up in Owensboro Ky you would know right away what a Dipper was.  The Big Dipper is the full name of a hamburger joint in town that makes the best hamburgers and tater tots will you ever have in your life.  Now some from Owensboro will read this and start an argument that Wonder Whip is better.  Wonder Whip has it's place in town, but if you grew up on my side of town then the Dipper was the place to be.  There is nothing special about them at all. No fancy sauces or secret ingredients.  No fancy buns, Kobe beef, or different toppings to choose.  I guess their only special technique is that maybe they don't clean off the grill too often.  I started eating Dipper hamburgers when I was knee high to a grasshopper on the front seat of my mom and dad's old orange car.  It was all vinyl seats that would burn your butt right off in the summer.  I remember my mom used to keep a 70s style flowered towel in there just so you could sit in the dang thing without your hindquarters sweating off and then sticking to the seat.  I guess that was almost 30 years ago (wow, I'm old) and I don't know that one thing has changed about the Dipper or it's food.  They still have a walk up window or a drive through with a squawk box that's loud enough to announce your order to half the county.  You have to drive over a cord that dings with your car and that's how they know someones ready to order.  I know that thing dings all day long because I've been there at 10:45 on a Friday morning and a line of cars already be out to the road.  I even took my two oldest kids there a couple years ago.  I took a picture of them right in front of the sign like we were visiting a national monument or something.  We sat on those busted up picnic tables in their parking lot and the kids and I ate burgers, tots, and peach shakes.  Only time I've ever seen Grace finish a whole sandwich.  I swear I'd call them up right now and have them next day air me a sandwich, but I think the grease would probably melt through the box and it would fall out before it made it here. 

Thou Shalt Not Use Thy Cuteness to Swipe Toys (a kid version of the 8th Commandment)

Our town had their Summerfest celebration a couple of weeks ago. The theme was "A Day at Disney" which about put my girls into some heavenly Disney princess orbit. So they all dressed up and headed downtown (I forgot to take a picture, grrr..) to enjoy the festivities. Maddie was rockin' out the stroller and we were having a nice time shopping, playing, and visiting with friends. We were on our way back to the van when I looked down and Maddie had a new toy in her hands. There had been lots of sidewalk sales that day and I was afraid she had swiped it right off a store's shelf while we were walking around. Then I realize I had just handed her a drink a few minutes before and she hadn't had this toy nor had we walked past any stores since then. We HAD however walked past lots of families with kids in strollers and little toddlers walking around. The only thing I can think happen as that she stole it from another family! Oh the embarrassment! I promise I had no idea! So Winterset families, if this is your toy, we have it waiting for you.

Homemade Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

Don't worry, this isn't turning into a food blog. I guess when the middle of summer hits I start getting a hankerin' for some new reciepes. I was sneaking around some of my favorite food blogs and I found a reciepe for homemade Dulce de Leche ice cream over at http://www.mommyskitchen.net/. Now I would easily knock over my own grandmother (sorry Mamma) to get the last piece of Dulce de Leche cheesecake. That stuff is my favvooorriiittteeee. It's my Green Eggs and Ham. I could it in here or there, I could eat in anywhere. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, last meal on death row; you get the picture. But this recipe gets even better than that. She make her own homemade Dulce de Leche sauce!! And it looks so easy! Shut your mouth, can you believe that? Well, I am going to immediately put my ice cream maker in the freezer and get my tooshie over to the grocery store first thing in the morning. I will be eating ice cream by mid-afternoon. uuuuhhhhhhhh (Homer Simpson drooling sound.)

Taste....10, Presentation.....0

When I was a kid my favorite dessert was something called Pretzel Salad. It's a three layer dessert. The top is a strawberry/strawberry jello layer followed by a cream cheese/cool whip layer and the crust is made from pretzels and sometimes pecans if they happen to be in the pantry. My mother made it every Christmas and sometimes on other holidays too. She used to make it for me as an adult when I would come home to visit. She doesn't do that much anymore since I've had my kids because becoming a grandma makes your love for the original child lessen. Those of you that have little kids know what I'm talking about right? Once your parents become grandparents then you get tossed out like an old towel. I'm not complaining, just stating a fact. Anywhoo.....back to the pretzel salad. I TRY to make pretzel salad on the 4th of July holiday. You got your red, your white, and if you put it on a blue plate your totally set. One problem, every time I make it it looks like this......

Why is my pretzel salad such a mess? I have two theories. One, I time the layers wrong as I putting them in and I get something too hot or too cold and it doesn't want to attach the next layer. Two, I can't wait to eat it and I pull one little piece (okay two) out of the pan early causing the whole thing to lose it's support system and come crashing into the empty side of the pan. Take a guess which theory I'm leaning towards.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad (salad is very loosely defined)

2 1/2 c crushed pretzels (throw in some pecan pieces for a little extra)

3 T sugar

3/4 c melted butter

1 8oz container cool whip

1 8oz container cream cheese

1 c sugar

1 6oz pkg strawberry jello

2 c boiling water

1 16oz pkg frozen strawberries in syrup

Mix together pretzels and pecans, 1 T sugar and melted butter. Press into 13x9 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 375. Cool. Mix together cool whip, cream cheese, and 1 cup sugar. Spread on cooled pretzel mixture. Mix jello and water together. Add strawberries and put in fridge until it begins to set. Then pour over cream cheese mixture. LEAVE IT IN THE REFRIGERATOR until set; at least 4-6 hrs. Or the other option is to sneak into the kitchen and cut out a piece early then claim to your family that you don't know why it always falls apart when you serve it.

Happy 4th?

Making some confetti pop...very serious business.

Victory!!
Waiting for the fireworks to start.
Maddie catching up on the latest gossip while she waits.
What the rest of our weekend looked like.

I just love to celebrate 4th of July. Obviously the best part is a chance to remember our own freedoms and to honor those who allow us to keep those freedoms. I have friends who have lived in other countries for extended periods of time and according to them, we have it really good over here ladies. The second part is just being able to enjoy the outdoors with good food, friends, and entertainment. Everyone just seems friendlier on July 4th. It's just nice to get out in your yard and visit with your neighbors and enjoy the festivities together as a community. The ribs sizzle, the beverages flow, and the fireworks pop. We certainly enjoyed all that this year.....on July 3rd. July 4th and 5th (every one's day off) brought rain....rain...rain. Not buckets of rain but that steady drizzle/rain/drizzle/rain combo that lasts all day. So we were very thankful that most of our celebrating was done a day early. Happy 3rd of July everyone!