Could you please repeat the question?

I seldom post on political subjects, but this was just too funny not to share! The incident in question happened a few weeks ago.

One evening around 6:30 or so, the phone rang. I answered it.

Me: Hello?

Them: (Silence)

Me: Hello?

Them: Good evening, ma’am, my name is Angela [my made up name] with XYZ Research [also my made up name]. I’d like to ask you a few questions concerning important issues that folks in your community are talking about.

Me: Okay. (After all, I’m always complaining that these researchers never ask me for my opinion when they take these polls.)

Them: First of all I need to ascertain that you are over 18 years of age and that you are a registered voter.

So I admit to this, then we go through a few more questions. Am I, or have I ever been, employed by a newspaper, or a TV or radio station? Do I hold, or have I ever held, any kind of public office, even at a local level?

Next, Angela asks what county I am registered to vote in. I tell her. She next inquires if I am registered as a Republican, Democratic, or independent voter.

Me: Republican.

Them: Okay, that’s all the questions I have for you today. Thank you very much!

The next day, around 2 in the afternoon, the phone rings again.

Me: Hello?

Them: (silence)

Me: Hello?

Them: Good afternoon, ma’am, my name is Tanya [my made up name] with XYZ Research [also my made up name]. I’d like to ask you a few questions concerning important issues that folks in your community are talking about.

Me: Well, I think I got a call from you folks yesterday. Would you want me to answer the same questions a second time? (Innocently thinking this would not make for very accurate research)

Them: Oh no, ma’am, I don’t think that could have been from us. It was probably a telemarketer. Would you be willing to answer a few questions?

Me: Okay, but...

So Tanya proceeds to ask me the same exact questions that Angela had asked the previous evening. And again, when we get to the question about whether I am registered as a Republican, Democrat, or Independent voter, Tanya is suddenly finished with her questions.

Now, I’m not employed by a research firm. But I find I can come to only one of two possible conclusions:

1) My employment history and my political affiliation are among the important issues folks in my community are talking about;

or

2) XYZ Research does not want to get the opinions of Republicans.

Which conclusion would you have reached?

A marvelous discovery...

 

Image by Pixabay

Last week, when Mr. T and I were out for our daily walk, we made a marvelous discovery. All summer we have been taking a different route for our walk, for two reasons: first, a bridge on our usual route is being replaced and the road was impassable much of the time; and, second, the alternate route we found is shadier and much more bearable through the summer heat. In past summers we just haven’t been faithful about walking on the very hottest days, because the only time we can consistently walk together is high noon. This summer, with our alternate route, we’ve been able to walk quite comfortably for a mile or two every day. So that has been a blessing. The route isn’t yet so familiar to us that we know every inch of it as we do with our regular one.

So it was a wonderful surprise when, passing what had once been an old homestead, but is now just a cellar hole and stone walls, we noticed a grapevine that had wound its way through trees and was now heavy with bunches of purple grapes over a stone wall. On an impulse, Mr. T went over and plucked a cluster of grapes. As we headed home, we marveled over their color and aroma. They actually smelled very much like the Concord grapes I remembered picking as a child in the grape arbors belonging to relatives.

(Can you just imagine what our station wagon smelled like on those faraway fall days? Bushels of Concord grapes filled the back compartment, and the amazing aroma of them filled the entire car. Of course, we always wanted to eat some, but they are really not sweet enough to eat out of hand. We had to wait until my mother made grape juice and grape jelly from them!)

Back to 2007... as we walked, we decided to taste these grapes. And we both decided that, sure enough, these were Concord grapes gone a bit wild over the years. Later, I asked my mother (who grew up in these parts) if she ever remembered Concord grapes growing at that old house. She did.

Well, after returning home, we decided that if we could take time, later in the week, we would go back and pick some of those grapes -- just enough to make a grape pie. I looked up my old recipe which I hadn’t used for years; it was, providentially, in a Farm Journal pie cookbook which my mother had only recently handed on to me because I had always used it far more than she did.

On Wednesday we spent the morning out of town as I had a doctor’s appointment. We got back in time to go for our walk at noon, and Mr. T picked the grapes then. (The vines were all mixed in with trees and blackberry bushes.)

Once home, I washed the grapes thoroughly with fruit and veggie wash and then sorted them. My pie recipe called for 4 1/2 cups and I only had about 3 1/2 cups, but I picked a few apples from our wild tree and made some microwave applesauce and mixed that in with the grape mixture, to make up for the missing amount of grape pulp.

The resulting pie was a thing of beauty; I only wish I had thought to take a picture then, but I didn’t. Mr. T thought it was good, but I was really disappointed in the flavor -- it had sort of a “wild” taste and was not as grape-y as I remembered. But guess what? By the next day, the flavor had really mellowed! It was absolutely wonderful!


If you have access to Concord grapes, you might like to try my recipe. It is rather labor-intensive in the preparation of the grapes, but so worth the trouble! Here’s the recipe:

CONCORD GRAPE STREUSEL PIE

Unbaked 9-inch pastry shell
4 1/2 cups Concord grapes
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt
Oat Streusel (recipe follows)

Wash the grapes and remove the skins by pinching at the end opposite stem. (I do the pinching maneuver over a saucepan, so the pulp goes right into the saucepan. Then I simply toss the grape skins, which need to be reserved to add to the filling later, into a small bowl at hand for the purpose.)

Place the pulp in a saucepan (already done if you do it my way) and bring to a boil. (Nope, you don’t need to add water.) Cook for a few minutes until pulp is soft. (Mine took about 10 minutes, I think probably because some of my grapes weren’t quite ripe.) Remove from heat and, while pulp is still hot, put it through a strainer or a food mill to remove the seeds.

Mix the strained pulp with the reserved grape skins. (These are what will give the filling that pretty purple color.) Stir in flour, sugar, lemon juice and salt.

Place the grape mixture in the unbaked pastry shell. Sprinkle on the Oat Streusel, made by combining 1/2 cup quick oats, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and 1/4 cup either canola oil (my choice) or melted butter.

Bake the pie at 425º for 35 to 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Sew Crafty Friday for September 28

This week has been busy and unusual, with different things that have taken me out of the house more often than I’d like. So busy, in fact, that I shouldn’t even be taking the time to post this. But real quick, here’s what little I’ve accomplished craft-wise this week:

I FINISHED 2 hot pads out of autumn fabric remnants. It’s fun to have these special fall accessories for my table. They are different sizes because I just used what I had. I got the idea from the “Seasonal Delights” magazine I had downloaded. Very nice!



And I have a dishcloth almost done, in the “Faded Denim” color -- just starting the edging. I’ve done quite a bit on a dishtowel -- as you can see, all I have left to do is finish the word “Thursday”. I’ve also cut out some squares for making some fall coasters for hostess gifts, but those aren’t in the picture. Lastly, I have worked a bit on my cross-stitch sampler -- I have it folded so that you can see the area I’ve been stitching on, with the bowl of apples.



Sadly, that about does it for my crafting this week. What about you? Have you done some crafting -- even a little bit? If so, head on over to Waiting for Him and share your projects. Inspire the rest of us!

Favorite Ingredients Friday for September 28

For Favorite Ingredients Friday this week, I wanted to share a recipe that I may have posted here on my blog before, but not for FIF. Since it’s apple-picking time for many people, I thought I would share my top favorite apple recipe. I hope that others enjoy this treat as much as we have over the years!

APPLE CRISP PIZZA

Pastry for a single crust pie
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 medium apples, peeled and sliced 1/2” thick
TOPPING:
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup old-fashioned (or quick-cooking) oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 to 1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping

Roll out pastry to fit a 12-inch pizza pan; fold under or flute edges of
pastry. Combine sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl; add apples and
toss mixture together well. Arrange apple slices in a single layer over
pastry in a circular pattern to completely cover pastry. Combine the
first five topping ingredients in a bowl; mix well and sprinkle over
apples. Bake at 350º for 35 to 40 minutes or until apples are
tender. Remove from oven and immediately drizzle caramel topping over apples. Serve warm.

Yield: 12 servings

This is a wonderful dessert to make in the fall when the apples are
ready to pick. It makes your kitchen smell so good! You may add
vanilla ice cream on top if you like, but it’s delicious just as it is.

Slow Cooking Thursday for September 27

Here is a wonderful slow cooker recipe that I tried for the first time this week. I wondered a bit about the combination of flavors, but it is absolutely delicious and will go into our rotation of crockpot recipes!

For Sundays after church, I would serve this with the Ready Rice -- the natural brown rice variety -- and a frozen vegetable blend, cooked quickly in the microwave.


SPICY LEMON CHICKEN

1 onion, chopped
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tblsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
Garlic powder or granules to taste
1 to 2 pounds boneless chicken breast (I used chicken tenders)
4 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
4 1/2 tsp. cold water
Hot cooked rice or noodles for serving

Either grease your slow cooker or use a plastic slow cooker liner bag (my preference). Place the onion in the slow cooker. Combine the water, lemon juice, oil and seasonings; pour over onion. Add the chicken and turn to coat it. Cover and cook on Low for 4 to 5 hours.

About 15 minutes before eating, turn slow cooker to High. Combine the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir into liquid in slow cooker, mixing well. Cover and continue to cook for 15 minutes.

Serve chicken and sauce over hot cooked noodles or rice.

Yield: 4-6 servings.

What's your cooking style?

What’s Your Style?

Last week, Susan from ByGrace posted some questions concerning cooking styles. I was intrigued by these questions, which she said could be answered in her comments section or on the blogs of those who have them and are so inclined. Here are her questions (in green) and my answers(in orange).

So what kind of cook are you? Meat-and-potatoes? Gourmet? Or somewhere in between?

I’d have to say I am somewhere in between. I am blessed with a husband who will try any food that I prepare. He is not at all picky and pretty much thinks everything I make is wonderful. I make quite a few meatless meals, but I do some meat-and-potatoes ones too. I don’t really like “gourmet” cooking, personally -- it’s just too fussy. I don’t mind spending time cooking and baking, but I don’t want to spend unnecessary time that I could be doing something else with -- possibly even something more important than cooking!

What's your favorite cookbook/cooking magazine?

This is a hard question, as I don’t have just one favorite. I love Taste of Home and am becoming a fan of Simple & Delicious. I enjoy Gooseberry Patch cookbooks -- they always have great recipes. I love the cooking newsletter Cook & Tell, and the author of that, Karyl Bannister, also has written a cookbook by the same name, which I’d hate to be without. I own hundreds of cookbooks, many of which I truly love and use often. Most often, though, I find myself turning to my own handwritten recipe books.

What is usually in your pantry, your staple ingredients that you can't do without?

Hmmm, good question. There are lots of things I consider necessary for cooking, and I’ll probably forget something vital, but here are a few thoughts:

* A good variety of herbs, spices, and flavorings
* Olive oil and canola oil
* Cider vinegar and seasoned rice vinegar
* Fat-free half & half
* Lemon juice and orange juice
* Pure maple syrup
* Brown sugar
* Light sour cream
* Neufchatel cream cheese (lighter)
* Corn meal
* Old-fashioned oats
* Canned diced tomatoes
* Canned beans like black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans
* Shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses (I keep them frozen)
* A good variety of frozen vegetables
* Evaporated milk
* Onions and garlic
* Potatoes and carrots
* Apples
* A good variety of pasta
* Converted rice

Oh, and I’m assuming that you are including the fridge and freezer as part of the pantry... the place where you keep cooking essentials.


What is your favorite type of dish to cook: main dish, sides, breads, desserts?

I love cooking and baking just about anything. But I have to say that my favorite type of dish to cook is desserts. I love making cookies, cakes, pies, crisps, whatever. I just don’t do so very often. I make tons of cookies for Christmas and keep them frozen. I make desserts for company or for church dinners, but mostly we don’t have desserts at home. Mr. T keeps ice cream in the freezer to appease his sweet tooth.

Do you have a signature recipe, one that everyone knows you for?

Some people jokingly say that they know the most unusual dishes at a potluck will be mine! I do have a few things that I make quite often and people sort of expect I will bring them -- Hot Pizza Dip, and Tortilla Roll-ups, Creamy White Chili, Cornbread... things like that.

What's your favorite appliance or gadget that you couldn't get along without?

Probably the microwave. I cook frozen veggies in the microwave all the time. It works great for cooking puddings and sauces too, lots less stirring. I prefer melting chocolate in the microwave, too. I will very often use the microwave for different steps in preparing a recipe. But I also adore my crockpot and use it at least once a week. I’ve really been using it a lot lately; it’s so helpful when I have many other things to do around the house, to just know that supper is under control. And I love my bread machine, especially for making dough.

And finally, what is your husband's favorite recipe that you fix? You know, the one that says "I love you - this is especially for you!"

This is a really difficult question because, as I said, he loves basically everything that I fix. His eyes will light up at almost any meal! He loves Snickerdoodles, and he also loves chocolate cake -- either one of those would say “I love you” -- but he would (and does!) read “I love you” into every meal that I make.

How about the rest of you ladies? I’d be really interested in reading your answers to Susan’s questions. So I’ll add -- as she did -- that you can answer these questions in the Comments, or, if you have your own blog, post the answers there. I will be looking forward to reading all of your answers!

Menu Plan Monday for September 24

Monday again! The weeks are flying by. There are some repeats on my menu this week, as some meals weren’t used last time. Yesterday we ended up going out for lunch with friends after church, so Sunday’s crockpot meal is all cooked and ready to reheat for tonight!

MONDAY: Spicy Lemon Chicken, Rice Pilaf, Green Beans

TUESDAY: Vegetable Chili, Cornbread

WEDNESDAY: Boston Subs, 3-Bean Salad

THURSDAY: Chicken Chop Suey (crockpot recipe), Fried Rice, Fruit Salad

FRIDAY: Grilled Steak, Potato Salad, Green Beans

SATURDAY: Southwestern Frittata, Breakfast Potatoes, Broccoli/Cauliflower Blend

SUNDAY: Round Steak Italiano, Baked Potatoes, Italian Mixed Vegetables