German Sauerkraut

 ...because there is a lot of German blood in this family.

It all began when I was researching a fermentation crock for the sourdough I am bringing out of hibernation. When I found the crock it was pictured with a vegetable fermentation tamper- cabbage sauerkraut pounder or as Mr. b calls it a husband persuader. The tamper looked like something he would enjoy making in his woodshop. When he brought it in I knew that we would be making sauerkraut for the first time.

2 lbs. cabbage, 1 tablespoon salt, massage for 10 minutes, not gently.

I would like a 10 minute massage, not gently.

Use that husband persuader to tamp down in quart jar.

In a few weeks after this ferments we will be enjoying American reuben sandwiches

 made with German ingredients.

Life is good.

~b

 I think spring may be here to stay finally.

There's signs of it everywhere at our house.

~b

secrets

 I am better at some things than others and when it comes to making chocolate chip cookies I am a pro.

I think making them for 50+ years helps. But I do have a couple of tricks up my sleeve too.

Can you keep a secret?  I can.

I've been machine quilting this farm quilt the last few days. It would make a cute wall hanging.

Tomorrow we  head to the city to stay with our oldest granddaughters. It's really more of a housesitting job. But we enjoy hanging with the grands and experiencing city life at it's finest...

grocery stores, restaurants and shopping.

~b

a hot decision

I cut into this vintage fruit basket inspired vintage tablecloth yesterday to make this hot mitt.  It features pears, apples, grapes, strawberries, cherries, raspberries and blackberries. I've been procrastinating cutting into it for abit.

This was after I looked up the prices of them on etsy. 

Had I known how expensive they are I would have procrastinated longer I'm sure.

But it makes a fun mitt that I will enjoy using in the kitchen. I have lots of the tablecloth left yet for other projects.

AND I have two more vintage tablecloths to procrastinate about.

~b

HOME SWEET HOME

 We are home again after an enjoyable winter in Texas.

It was three long days driving and I always question whether it's worth it or not to avoid South Dakota winters but I'm sure we will go back next year.

We always spend a month by Galveston near the beach. I like to think it's living healthy. I certainly sleep better... I'm sure it's all the fresh air we get.

My favorite coastal bird is the Roseate Spoonbill and I was determined to waterpaint it before we came home and I did...the very last day. I actually like the way it turned out.

We also enjoy the flyovers of the pelicans.

And now it's time to start unpacking the camper.

~b

surf and turf

 We first heard the phrase "Surf and Turf" the Christmas of 1974, the first Christmas for either of us not spent with our families. We made the best of it and dressed up and went out to a nice restaurant in Salinas, California where we ordered surf and turf...steak and seafood.

To this day I like a little surf with my turf and the memories that go with it.

Ice cream and building sand castles on the beach. It sounds like a song.

~b

alligators...of course

 I followed along with Mr. b and my brother golfing the other day...

you will see why soon.

Isn't that chicken golf club cover silly? There is definitely a chicken attraction in our family.

This course was more of a zoo.

And this was the main attraction...

gators! lots of them in lots of sizes!

And stranger than alligators on a golf course was that there were absolutely no warning signs of them.

NONE! ANYWHERE!

~b

ships

 Saturday we went in to Galveston to watch the ships go by in the bay.

When we saw that there were cruise ships docked we decided to return to the bay to watch them head out into the open waters of the Gulf. We thought the ships we watched at first were huge but when the cruise ships went to pass them...well you can see the difference.

There were three cruise ships that all followed each other out of port. That equals a lot of passengers and workers.

It looked like the cruise ships had the right of way, I wonder how they decided that?

~b

seashells

 We are at our happy place for a month...

the Gulf of Mexico by Galveston.

You don't walk the beach without picking up a pocketful of shells.

First things first...the fish market for supper.

Horses on the beach...what could be more fun?

Well, for me it might be a golf cart.

 

~b

Texas with beans

 I have a new cast iron pan. My brother knows I love cooking in cast iron. 

It has deep sides making it useful for just about everything.

It works great on my gas stove here in the camper.

Today I made Texas chili in it. It's not quite Texas style as I put beans in mine.

Whoever heard of chili with no beans? And Texas serves beans with just about everything else.

Is it just me or does everything taste better out of a cast iron pan?

~b

tin cup

 If you are a baby boomer you can probably remember drinking out of a 

rusted beat up tin cup while pumping water from the cistern.

Today I painted a memory.

~b

smoking hot

Yesterday we were in Lockhart Texas...the barbecue capital of Texas.

We had lots of choices of places to eat but we chose Kreuz Market.

In 1875, Jesse Swearington opened the first meat market in Lockhart - selling barbecued pork and beef. In 1900, Charles Kreuz Sr. purchased the store from Swearingen and renamed it Kreuz Market.

  As you can see it takes a lot of wood to keep smoking meat.

They serve your meat on butcher paper which was unique.

We enjoyed pork ribs and sausages. If these places could make potato salad and beans like your mother did I would give them 5 stars. But it was a 4.5 star establishment.

~ b is for barbecue

German

Yesterday we went on a road trip to Fredericksburg Texas where we channeled our German roots.

Fredericksburg is wine country so of course it involved a bottle of wine. It is also known for it's peaches so we made it a bottle of peach wine.

Then there was also peach salsa, peach cider, peach chipotle sauce and more. 

Fredericksburg is also where we buy pecan coffee. Needless to say it was a fun day.

We had lunch at a German restaurant...chickenschnitzel, schmorbraten, German potato salad 

and apple strudel.

Dakota Man was pleased to come back with a piece of cypress wood.

~b is for bratwurst

knitting, reading and painting

I have a new afghan on my needles and a new book beside my chair.

I hope it doesn't turn into a 20 year project.

I enjoy Jeannette Walls books. They are easy reading and hold my attention.

I like a smoothie when I'm painting.

I have a good smoothie maker here in our camper...

frozen fruit, yogurt, banana, orange juice and ice.

Mr. b draws the line at adding anything green.

Knitting, reading and painting pretty much sum up my life here in Texas.

Life is good.

~b

1990

 It's 1990 and you have geese everywhere...

on your wallpaper, pictures, your pot holders and on shelves. 

You probably even had one on the front of your sweater.

Your colors are dusty blue and pink, balanced out with yellow. 

A flour sack towel like this probably hung on your oven door.

Trends don't interest me anymore. 

Our home is filled with the things I love.

I finally finished this afghan I started in the 90's 

and I will probably keep it regardless of being pink.

I embroidered the flour sack towel to coincide with the 1990 trend.

I'm sure they will both be around for another couple of decades.

~b

Laid back lazy

We've had lots of rain here in Texas which makes our days even lazier. 

Today the sun is out so Mr. b will hit the golf course and I will head to the pool

If I'm not at home stitch'n we are out roaming. 

This week we found our way to Trader Joes and I'm a huge fan.

We caught this rust on our way to one of our favorite meat markets 

where we came away with a couple of rings of German sausage.

My paternal grandmother made the best 'wurst'.

~b