After Thanksgiving Lefse...

 We had a quiet Thanksgiving at home.  Our meal was the traditional turkey (smoked to perfection), mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, and stuffing.  My husband did a fabulous job smoking the turkey.  It was perfect.  For once my mashed potatoes turned out pretty good too.  Of course, the best part is using the leftover mashed potatoes to make my favorite bread... lefse. 

 

No, I am not Norwegian, but I love lefse.  Add some butter, cream, salt and flour.  Roll into balls, refrigerate, roll out as thin as possible, lay on a hot griddle until browned, then flip to brown the other side.  I can't think of a better treat. In an attempt to walk off the Thanksgiving feast, Dollor has been getting a lot of runs this weekend.  

He enjoys the snow.  His youth and exuberance is unmatched.  He keeps me active and helps me enjoy the outdoors.  Especially the sunrises and sunsets.

Lefse isn't the only leftover recipe we have.  Turkey, basil, and bacon pizza is a favorite.  Turkey pot pie is almost better than the turkey.  Almost.  

Did you have a good Thanksgiving?  What is your favorite part of the meal?  Do you have a go to leftover recipe?  

Hunter's paradise...

 I don't have much to say.  I've been hunting and butchering, so it has been pretty busy here.  

There have been a lot of birds around here.  Probably the coolest one I've seen is this Shrike.  It took me a while to identify him as he wouldn't sit still.  I've only seen them one other time.  

Even though the weather has been warm, one still gets cold.  It is because you have to sit still for so long.  Something I look forward to after a hunt is a bowl of  Rommegrot.  It is a Norwegian comfort food and a hunter's warm up.  

Rommegrot

2 c. Milk
1/4 c. 2 T. Flour
2 T. Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1/4 c. Butter or Sour Cream
Cinnamon Sugar

Heat milk to 195º. At the same time melt butter in a separate pan. Add flour, sugar, and salt to butter to form a thick paste. When milk reaches 195º whisk in flour and butter mixture. Heat to boiling then turn heat on low. Whisk for five minutes. Serve with a pat of butter and cinnamon sugar.

Number Of Servings: 1-2 bowls

I love being outside.  Nature can sure put on a show.  Today, I saw two big bucks fighting it out.  The bigger of the two got rolled.  He had enough and stayed clear of the the other one.  I saw deer all day.  It was a parade of bucks chasing does all weekend.  It was better than watching tv.  

Add birds, squirrels, and the colors in the sky it was a beautiful weekend.  Then there is the fresh venison from my husband's harvest, and it was very fulfilling.

What is your favorite thing to do outside?  What nature activity do you enjoy the most?

The moments that take your breath away...

 I don't have much to say.  I am sharing all of the photos I took on Veterans Day.  Dollor started my morning bright and early.  Just in time to see the sunrise. I'm not a morning person, but I do love a good sunrise.  Lately they have been breathtaking. 

Then at about 5:30 pm the light show began....

After running around like crazy getting photos with the cabin, I poured a glass of wine and sat on the upper deck watching the show.  I could hear our mountain lion below and the geese flying overhead.  Could it get any better than that? 

I'm thankful I live in a place where I can enjoy natures beauty.  While others had to drive to get out of the light pollution I just stepped outside my door.  Did you get to see the lights?  Have the sunrises been as amazing where you are?  I don't think Mother Nature could have done a better job of thanking our Veterans.  

A little of this and a little of that...

 I had to laugh today.  I was busy doing stuff in the kitchen when suddenly I realized it was quiet.  Too quiet.  Immeadiatly, I started looking for Dollor.  He was just watching me from the couch.  I looked all over then realized he was still on the couch.  He was at the other end and pulled a blanket over himself.  I guess he was miffed that I shut off the fire.

Everything is eating around here.  I guess the snow has all the creatures in bulk up mode.  This chipmunk found it much harder to get out of the feeder with filled cheeks, compared to when he got in. I am amazed at how many seeds they can get in there.  

My husband tossed the giant pumpkin down to the deer.  It didn't take them long to find it.  Most of it is already eaten.  

Earlier this week our friend from Minnesota came out to deer hunt.  We went to his cabin last year bear hunting.  I'm afraid he left empty handed, but it sure was nice having company.  His note says it all.

I was hoping to see the northern lights this week, but it was too cloudy.  

Who was the last visitor you had?  Do the deer eat your pumpkins?

Another day another Dollor...

 I was pretty busy last week.  The weather was perfect.  Dollor is growing by leaps and bounds.  

We got some snow this week.  Luckily it didn't stick.  I'm bummed I missed his first snowfall.  My husband said he got the zoomies.  

The sunrises and sunsets have been beautiful lately.  

I have always wanted to try making Danish pastries. It is an all-day event, so I set aside a rainy day to make them.  You roll out the dough, spread butter over it, fold everything up, re-roll, refrigerate, roll, fold, refrigerate, roll, fold, and bake. They didn't turn out as I had hoped.  They looked good.  If you are interested in giving it a try this is the recipe I used. 

Danish Dough Recipe - Simply Home Cooked





Despite the bad Danish it was a good week.  I took most of it off and just enjoyed the fall weather. 

Did you have a nice week?  Did you get any trick-or-treaters?  We live too far so we never see any. 

The woods are full of them...

The Woods are Full of Them is a cabin game I have for rainy days.  In the game, the woods are full of bears.  Although I have had bears, the woods are full of many other things.  Mainly mountain lions and coyotes.  As you can see, we have two lions.      The one on top is a female.  She has a litter of kittens every year somewhere behind our cabin.  We've come across her several times.  She is extremely skittish and quick to disappear.  Her cubs, not so much.  We have caught them on our cameras romping around and they have had a few kills behind our cabin.  The fellow below is a male and I am not happy about his presence.  You can tell the difference as the female has really black paws and tail.  The male doesn't have any black markings.  I've seen him twice this month.  Both times he wasn't in a hurry.

A few weeks ago, when I took Dollor out before going to bed, I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye.  I thought it was a deer and reached for Dollor.  Then under the yard light I realized it was a very large lion lazily trotting across our sidewalk and down the road.  Dollor saw that big, beautiful tail and immediately thought that looked like great fun.  Dollor sprinted after the tail, I sprinted after Dollor, and was yelling for my husband to grab the gun.  Luckily, I caught my wayward pup before he caught that tail. The lion trotted down the road and disappeared into the dark. 

Fast forward 3 weeks and luckily the pup needed out earlier than our normal 6:00 am wake up walk.  I took him out at 5:00 am.  Normally, I wouldn't think that was good but today was different.  I was doing yoga at 6:00 (I should have been outside) when coyotes started caterwauling like crazy.  My husband called out that coyotes were running down the road.  I looked out the window just in time to see... No, not a coyote, but that damn male lion trotting down the road.  I don't know what he did to set the coyotes off.  I am just thankful we weren't wandering down the road when that blew up.  

Tonight, we looked at our game camera caught the female behind the cabin.  This is the time she would have her cubs, and we think her den is somewhere behind the cabin.  Then as I was sitting on the deck enjoying the fire table before the rain rolls in, I heard her calling.  

Not only do we have two lions, but we also have two coyotes.  Also, a male and female.  I'm not as nervous about them, since we always keep Dollor leashed.  If you aren't familiar with coyotes they will chase a dog without hesitation. Long long ago I was taking our Shorthaired Pointer, Ezra, for a run and a coyote was right on his tail as he came out of the woods.  I thought I was going to hit it with my walking stick, but at last second it saw me and took off.  I am confident as long as Dollor is leashed he will be fine when it comes to coyotes. Not so sure the same holds for lions. 

Here is the source of my headache.  So innocent.  He is completely oblivious that it is a dangerous world out there.  I guess it is worth it when he snuggles up to me or as I watch him zoom around in the tall grass.  

If you have a pup, what is your greatest concern?  Probably not lions. 

 

Fall...

 I don't have anything earth shattering.   Just a beautiful fall weekend. 

Not only are the days breathtaking, but so are the nights.

Hope you are also able to enjoy the season.