A New Addition

The Andersons welcomed a new member to the family today.  Stryker (Ted Stryker Anderson).  We visited him yesterday at the West Suburban Humane Society and put a hold on him to consider it overnight.  I was so excited this morning that I couldn't sit still waiting for the minutes and hours to pass until the shelter was open and we could go see him again!  We played with him for about 20 minutes and realized we were just sure - he was going home with us!  We went inside to the office and took care of the paperwork. 

They brought him out to us, and the whole family jumped in the truck and went to the pet store for a doggie bed, a rope toy (it was his favorite at the shelter, so we got a similar one), food and water dishes, and some other essentials.  The shelter provided us with some food and his medicine (he's currently got a bout of upset tummy, but he's well house trained).  He's micro chipped, neutered, and vaccinated.  We plan on taking him to the vet within the next two weeks to get a thorough check, but he's gorgeous and happy!  Take a look:

(Ted) Stryker Anderson

We have been playing with him most of the day, and we just came home from an awesome 45-minute walk.  He is amazing, and we love him already!  We are all set to go pick up some more things at the pet store and give this gorgeous Brittany/Collie mix the forever home he's always wanted!

The North Woods

JR's dad's family is from Ingram, Wisconsin, in the North woods.  See the tiny red dot?  That probably covers up Ingram and all the surrounding towns.

We try to visit at least once a year.  We went the weekend of July 4th for the family reunion.  It was a blast.  We probably doubled the population of Ingram that weekend, which isn't that difficult.  The registered population is listed at 76.  Yes, seventy-six.  We went up again last weekend for "Ingram Days."  The town celebration is held the first weekend in August each year and boasts a softball tournament, a sand volleyball tournament, a horseshoe tournament, a pie-and-ice-cream sale, chicken and other food stuffs for sale at the ball park, a parade, and various other activities hosted by the town's four bars.  Yes, four bars for 76 people, or one bar for every 19 people.

So, what do we do while we are there besides visit all the bars, have some chicken, watch some sports tournaments, and watch the parade (during which at least one "float" will hand out beer to the bystanders)? 

Well, on an average weekend we spend in Ingram, we will head into nearby Glen Flora to eat a fantastic breakfast at Jae Dee's - fluffy pancakes with locally-made, FRESH maple syrup in squeeze bottles!  We will also head over to Tee-A-Way Golf outside of Ladysmith for nine holes, and we might stop by West Cove Lanes next door for bowling. 

We almost always head into downtown Ladysmith to catch whatever movie they are showing (yes, movie - as in one screen) for $5 each.  We once had to wait for the local Little Miss Rusk County pageant to end before we could see the movie.  Also, during a long movie (2 + hours), the projectionist (who also sells the tickets and the refreshments) will stop the film at the half-way point and announce that we are taking a 15-minute intermission so we may use the facilities and get refills on our drinks.  It's awesome.  Last weekend we saw "Despicable Me."

A trip is not complete without a visit to the Ladysmith Dairy Queen, which by the way is open all year.  On a girls' weekend to Ingram with JR's sisters and some friends in late January, 2008, we all suited up, warmed up the cars for 30 minutes, and headed into town to have some ice cream - it was 37 degrees BELOW zero.  That was good ice cream.

We will usually have a breakfast or a dinner one day out of the weekend at Hilltop Bar and Restaurant.  It's across the street from JR's older sister's summer house, the street being Highway 8.  We will likely have a dinner at Horseshoe Bar, as well - great fish fries on Fridays.  We might grab a burger at Antlers Bar & Tavern for lunch one day, and we like to go to The Bar for karaoke on Saturday nights.

If several family members are in town, we'll have a fire pit at JR's middle sister's summer home roaring into the wee hours while we laugh and talk and sing and act silly all night long.  JR also can't miss a ride on the ATVs.

Overall, the weekends we spend in the North woods are relaxing and fun.  My mom wonders why I can enjoy myself up there so much when I left the farm back in Tennessee kicking and screaming.  I remind her that I still like to come visit home, too - it is very relaxing and fun as well.  Then she reminds me that I said I was going to retire to Ingram one day and asks how I could stand that if I didn't want to live in the country in Tennessee.  I look her square in the eyes and say, "76 people.  Four bars."

Baked Orange Roughy with a Parmesan Sauce Topping

I knew I wanted to make fish, but I wasn't sure what kind. I took the cookbook with me to the grocery store so I could compare fresh-fish availability to recipes...

I came up with Orange Roughy baked with a Parmesan Sauce Topping. Yum yum!

The Parmesan sauce topping was merely light mayo, Worcestershire sauce, grated Parmesan cheese, and some salt & pepper. I coated the fillets with that and baked them until the fish was cooked through.

In the meantime, I made a fresh slaw mix with a light dressing (light mayo, lemon juice, lime juice, olive oil, salt & pepper).

It was delicious! The Parmesan sauce topping was a huge hit, and the slaw was a nice side.

We will be having this again!

Mediterranean Pasta with Shrimp

So, I forgot to bring my cookbook with me to work on Wednesday...I decided instead to look up some recipes on diabetes.org.

I found Mediterranean Pasta with Shrimp - whole wheat egg noodles, ready-to-use shrimp, thawed chopped spinach, fat-free yogurt, feta cheese, garlic, salt & pepper. Really simple.

I also made a Greek side salad of diced cucumber, diced tomatoes, diced onion, diced bell pepper, grated garlic, yogurt, olive oil, salt & pepper.

Well, this was the first bust. I loved the salad. JR liked the pasta...

It seems the Andersons don't do Greek...

They can't all be winners!

Chicken Paella

After the success of the first meal on Sunday night prepared from the diabetic cookbook, I went through every recipe with my husband so we could determine which things we would definitely like, which things we would try, and which things we should not even think about (like anything with only vegetables in it - he won't eat that).

Monday, I picked out the next recipe to try: Chicken Paella. Proudly I can tell you that I only needed two ingredients from the store - a can of stewed tomatoes and a red bell pepper. The paella was simple - one skillet, chicken breast cut into strips and browned, onion, garlic, low-sodium chicken broth, parsley, rice, stewed tomatoes, bell pepper, frozen peas & carrots, seasonings (including turmeric). It was ready in about 30 minutes.

JR loved it! I loved it! Another win for the recipes!

Salmon in a Garlic Bath

My first try at creating a diabetic-friendly meal came directly from the diabetes cookbook I've been using (credit and picture to come). It sounded so delicious, so we tried it.

Salmon fillets in a baking dish with a "bath" of low-sodium chicken broth, olive oil, minced garlic, dry white wine, and coarsely chopped fresh parsley - baked till the fish is flaky. I positioned the fillets in the baking dish so that they formed a circle with each other.

I made brown rice, peas & carrots, and grilled shrimp skewers as sides.

I plated the meal: 1 fillet each, semi-circle shaped & positioned to match the outline of the plate; a big scoop of brown rice in the "pocket" of the fish; a big scoop of peas and carrots to complete the circle; two shrimp skewers each in an X pattern atop the other items.

Beautiful.

In my husband's best Gordon Ramsey impression, he gave his critique:

"Nice presentation. Tammy - look at this. The fish. It's cooked perfectly. On to the peas & carrots. A little pedestrian, but flavored well. The rice is overcooked. The seasoning on the shrimp is clean and simple. Delicious. Now bugger off."

For a first attempt at cooking a completely diabetic-friendly meal, I was impressed with myself. Whew!

If You Really Knew Me

I've been watching the MTV show "If You Really Knew Me." Here is part of the description from the Web site:

"Like a reality version of The Breakfast Club, each episode of If You Really Knew Me takes place at a different high school, and follows five students from different cliques as they go through the life-changing experience of Challenge Day, a one-day program that breaks down the walls between cliques, and completely changes the way students view their school and each other. Watch the amazing transformation each week as new students open up for the first time and try to change by revealing who they really are, behind the cliques and the labels. Is it possible to change your life, and maybe even your high school, in one day? These students are going to find out... on If You Really Knew Me."

I've seen the first two episodes, and I am digging it. It makes me nostalgic, it makes me sad, it gives me hope, and it gives me worry.

If something like this had happened in my high school, I am not sure what the outcome would have been. I don't know what clique I would have been assigned to...I called myself a "floater." I could talk to anyone, but at the same time I didn't do a lot of socializing outside of school.

Just for giggles, I thought it would be interested to pose the challenge to you...I'll start.

If you really knew me, you would know that I always thought I was fat in high school. Only after seeing pictures of myself years later did I realize that I was a very healthy size.

If you really knew me, you would know that I always wanted to hang out with people after school and on the weekends but never felt like I belonged.

If you really knew me, you would know that I was excited to go to my ten-year reunion because I was still not married, I had no kids, and I was living 8 hours away...I was excited because I had broken any mold of what people thought I should be.

If you really knew me, you would know that after the ten-year reunion, I felt just as un-cool and un-popular as I did in high school.

What would I really know about you?