Great-Grandma Weber's Summer German Potato Salad

 This was a staple at our family's summer outings for as long as I can remember.  My youngest sister asked me for the recipe so I thought I would put it here- so that anyone in the family who wished could make it.

Here are the ingredients:

 3 pounds new potatoes 

1/4 pound bacon 

4 stalks celery

1 medium-large onion

1 bell pepper

4 ounces  Spanish olives

1/2 cup brine from olives

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Pepper to taste

Optional:

1.2 tsp dried summer savory or other summer herbs

Make this the night before you want to use it for the flavors to meld.

1) Boil whole unpeeled potatoes in water until just tender.  You want to be able to slice these very thin and have the slices hold their shape.  Once boiled, drain and put in cold water until cooled.  Peel the potatoes- the peels should just slide off.  If not, then peel getting off just the outside peel.  You want the yellow inside layer on skin on.

2) Chop up bacon into 1/4 inch chunks.  Mom used chunk bacon whenever she could get it.  If you have a local farmer in your area selling bacon, you may be able to get chunks of bacon- if not just slice the bacon across the slice in 1/4 chunks.  Fry bacon until crisp- reserve all the bacon fat.

3) Slice the potatoes very thin into a 4 quart bowl. You should be able to see the knife passing through the potato.

4)  Slice the olives.  A small manzilla olive should be sliced into 4 pieces.  Layer these over these over the potatoes.

5) Chop up the celery into 1/4 inch chucks- layer these over the olives.

6) Chop the pepper and layer the celery

7) Chop up the onion over the pepper.

When layering the veggies, you should know you have enough if all of the layers look a shade of light green.

8) Pour the bacon and fat over the veggies

9) Into a pint jar or larger- pour the vinegar, olive juice, egg and 1/2cup water.  Add herbs, salt and pepper.

10)  Shake up dressing and pour over the salad.  Mix all ingredients well and refrigerate overnight.

11) Serve on a large platter with sliced tomatoes around the border. Sprinkle paprika over the top.

If anyone remembers something different-add it to the comments below.

If I was making this- think it would be more accurate- but right now I can't eat fresh vegetables so doing this from memory- which is not as good as muscle memory!  Enjoy!  Unless you don't like olives, you'll love this potato salad!  Even people who hate potato salad say they like this version!  Enjoy!

Ten thousand gifts in ten thousand days- more or less

I was looking at my long neglected penny jar the other day.  I read somewhere that if you estimated the number of weeks of life left, filled a jar with that many pennies, and took a penny out of the jar on Saturday morning that it would motivate you to make each week worth living.  But I never remember!  So there is this full jar and I wondered how many pennies should be left.  As I was trying to reason this out, I came up with the notion of 10,000 days- and that seemed a wonderful number of days to do beautiful things- bring gifts to the world.  That would have me in my 95th year- so it’s both likely I will never get there- but also possible that I may surpass the goal- so it’s a good number.

The day started out with someone reminding me about Christmas pageants- so I went to The Story of Our Faith from Creation to the Birth of Jesus and saw that this would be a good gift for today.  It not only outlines a pageant that was truly memorable but gives you hints on putting together costumes with little effort.  Some sew great things- but I’m a little bit time challenged so give me the easy way!

I’ve been thinking about Jesse Trees lately and just purchased a beautiful set of readings that comes with a little tree and ornaments- The Wonder of the Greatest Gift.  It just happened to arrive in the mail yesterday!  I think that wonder is the greatest gift that God can give us- so I’m passing a little wonder on.

Think that reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas and the wonder of creation is a pretty good gift for today.  Hope your day is full of wonder.

My afternoon drink!

This is my new favorite way to enjoy warer!  Was introduced to the combination of throwing cucumber, lemon slices, and mint into water years ago as a weight loss drink.  Googled the combination this afternoon and was surprised at the numerous health benefits!  I can use all the anti-inflammatory, weight loss, digestive benefirs I can get!

Another favorite way to enjoy water is as water kefir!  I was turned on to this by Pure Living For Life.  If you've never tried their videos, you should!  They are really living the Discipliine of Self-Esteem- finding out what they can and can not do and finding the balance in life while building their dream home in the Idaho Panhandle.  One of their videos was introducing Jesse to water kefir- and I was so curious, I ordered some water kefir grains and been enjoying water kefir ever since- usually half and half with either tea or fruit juice.  Water kefir is full of probiotics which are great for digestion too!

Yesterday, I was inspired to try my cucumber, lemon and mint in my kefir water.  Yummy!  The slight acidity in the kefir was totally enhanced and deepened by the lemon.  The cucumber mellowed it out and the mint made it even more refreshing!  In addition the slight sweetness of the water kefir made the water drink even more pleasant.  A great combination!  Try it with or without kefir- your body will love it!

My journey so far

Miles for Moffit May 2015

Weeki Wachee Mermaid Race September 2017

In December 2014, a friend told me that if I needed a walker, then I should not be ashamed to go out and get one.  I was getting there- 110 pounds overweight,  tricompartmental arthritis in both knees, bursitis in both hips and back pain so bad, I couldn’t stand for more than 15 minutes at a time.

I decided that before I went the walker route, I would use my Curves membership and work out religiously three times a week and see what happens.  Within two weeks, I could go down the stairs normally.  Optimistically, I decided to try walking and build up to doing a marathon in two years.  That didn’t happen- but I do have a new life walking as a way of life and encouraging others to do the same.

The first photo was my first race- just after meeting Lynn Gray and the Take the First Step Club.  I was encouraged to take her 8 week training class for the Miles for Moffit Race and the clubparticipation was incredible.  After the race, I joined the club and have walked 3 or more miles almost every week since then.

Walking alone is just not doing the trick.  My first Gasparilla was the 15K and it was real tough climb.  I finished dead last but I finished.  Last year I did the 8K and it was a major victory- maintained an almost constant 22 minute mile- and did not come in last- and saw the end of the pack ahead of me.  But this year, I'm doing the 5K because my knee acts up before I hit 3 miles in my Saturday walks.

This has started a new start to my health routines.  Just joined Shapes and have water aerobics and yoga to my fitness routines.  So am going to try and post here every day again.  See you tomorrow!

Thanksgiving Start Up

This year's Thanksgiving Menu

Turkey (thinking of Ree Drummond's Maple Whiskey Brined Turkey)
Cornbread Dressing
Mashed Potatoes
Skillet Cranberry Sauce
Green Bean Casserole (my recipe)
Pumpkin Bread (made from fresh pumpkin)
Homemade cultured butter (shaped into a turkey)
Pecan pie
Maple whipped cream

More than usual, my food is locally sourced

Leaf lard is homemade from leaf fat from Nature Delivered Farm
Turkey parts for gravy from Trailbale Farm
Pumpkin and locally sourced vegetables from Cheyenne's Country Thangs
Also from Cheyenne's we got the Mary's Organic Turkey and maple syrup ( not local)

Featured this year is a make ahead menu- and my crock pot is going non-stop!  This is to make things easier, so I'm not exhausted.

Make ahead schedule
Saturday: Make the Lard (will do a separate blog post on that)
Sunday: Cook the Pumpkin and make Turkey Broth
Monday:
1) Make cornbread (must)
2) Start butter culture (must)
3) Make mashed potatoes
4) Make sauce for green bean casserole
5) Make cranberries
6) Prepare brine
Tuesday - lots to do outside home-  so finish what is not done Monday
Wednesday
1) Make and mold butter
2) brine turkey
3) Make dressing
3) Make pie and bread
Anything still left from Monday

So on Thanksgiving- all I have to do is the turkey, unmold butter, and put the sides in the oven to reheat.

Each night will post pictures and go through what I was able to accomplish.
See you then!

Mary Rose's Almond Crescents

The one recipe that family members want from me this time of year is my almond crescent recipe.  I remember Mom always looking for the recipe that most reminded her of Great-grandma Weber's recipe and when she tasted my cookies, she said she thinks that this is it.  I created this recipe from the  Heritage Cookbook's Nut Crescents supposedly of Bohemian origin.  I simply substituted almonds for walnuts and almond extract for vanilla extract.  I also upped the almond amount a bit.

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
 1 teaspoon vanilla
 2 cups flour
 1/2 cup of ground  almonds
 Powdered sugar

  Cream butter, sugar and almond extract.  Add in flour and ground almonds.  Using a heaping teaspoon of dough, shape into crescents.   Bake at 325 for 20 minutes.  Cookies should be golden brown.  When slightly cool but still warm, roll in a bowl of powdered sugar.

DOSE: The Origins of Mary Rose's Garden: My Name

Before birth my mother dedicated my life to Marie Rose Ferron, the original "Mary Rose".  As a small child in Woonsocket RI, she was asked by the bishop to pray that a heresy that was rampant in the diocese to be eliminated.  She prayed and it was gone. At age 12, she was stricken with polio and was unable to move from the neck down.  About all that she could do from that point on, was to accept her sufferings with grace and dignity, and offer her prayers to the world, for the sake of her beloved Jesus. He rewarded her with the gift of bearing the signs of his own suffering on earth- but while the suffering for the sake of the world was welcomed by this dear soul- the fame and attention that came with the suffering was not.  So she prayed to have the pain remain, but that all visible signs of the stigmata be removed- and the Lord granted her request. When my mother married, she was told by her physician that she and my father would never be able to have children.  My father had suffered from rheumatic fever as a child, so was likely to have a low sperm count, and my mother had broken her back as a child in such a way that impregnation was almost impossible.  A blessed nun gave my Mom a tiny relic of Marie Rose's bone and she began a novena to have children over and over again.  She promised Marie Rose, that if she should have the gift of children, then she would name her first daughter after her and dedicate her life to Marie Roses' memory.   I was born less than one year later.  My Mom claimed that she was told that my birth knocked her back into alignment so that more children were possible.  My mother had seven children, sixteen grandchildren, at least 10 great grandchildren (and counting) and 4 great-great grandchildren. Did my Mom keep her promise?  It turned out that Mary was my maternal grandmother's name and Rose was my grandmother's sister's name.  My father's mother was very insulted that his side of the family would not be recognized in the birth of their first child- so I was named Mary Karline (as Karline was my grandmother's name in German).  But my Mom told me the story, and I took Rose for my confirmation name and added it to all the documents except my driver's license.  Many years passed.   Then one day, I decided that I did not want to be "Mary" anymore.  Mary was the name of the child and the woman who had been a victim of family violence her whole life.  I did not want to be a victim any more, I wanted a new life and a new name.  That is why I insist on being "Mary Rose". Here is a link to the web site dedicated to Marie Rose Ferron.