Country Farmhouse In Winter

A country house in winter. Not new and often heated with a pot belly stove, they’re more homey and comfortable than new homes. I’d rather smell a hint of wood smoke than fresh paint and new carpet. When I was young, I often stayed with relatives who lived in an old country house. Someone always had to get up in the middle of the night to put wood in the stove. You always wear wool socks because the floors are cold. The plastered outside walls are cold to touch. Frost sometimes formed around the inside of the windows because they leaked cold air. You sometimes wear a hat inside at night. Looking back I realize that no matter the inconveniences or the hardships, living in an old country home is a privilege. I wish I could go back and spend one more winter night in that house. 

Grilled Jerk Chicken

We like trying new recipes and when something is really good, we like sharing it with friends. 

If you like outdoor grilling and you like chicken, here’s a recipe that's really good. The jerk sauce recipe is from Chris De La Rosa. Chris is from Tobago, a beautiful country in the Caribbean. Chris knows how to make authentic Caribbean Jerk Sauce.

Jerk Sauce

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons minced green onion (white and light green parts only)
1 cup water
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Frank’s cayenne pepper suace
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/2  teaspoon garlic powder
1/2  heaping teaspoon dried thyme
1/2  teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 heaping teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon rubbed sage

1. Melt margarine over medium/low heat. Add minced green onions and cook for 5 minutes. You just want to sweat the onions to soften them up. You’re not looking to brown them.

 2. Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the remaining ingredients. Put the pan back on the stove and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until the sauce darkens and thickens. Cover sauce, then cool and chill until it’s needed.

Note: This is medium hot . We don’t like more than mild heat so we omitted the Frank’s Hot Sauce and reduced the cayenne pepper. It doesn't change the flavor just the heat.

Grilling

Place chicken pieces into a large bowl or plastic bag, cover with sauce and place in the fridge for a minimum of 1-2 hours, preferably overnight. (The longer you leave the chicken to marinade, the more it will take on the flavors.)

When you are ready to cook, take the chicken out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking. (Bringing it to room temperature helps for an even cooking process.)

Preheat a grill to medium-high heat, and lightly brush with oil to help chicken from sticking to the grill.

Place the chicken, skin-side down, on the grill over a medium heat and cook for 25 to 35 minutes, turning often, until cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F). Transfer chicken to a plate and allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

We brush the chicken with sauce several times during grilling. 

Remember, charcoal and wood reign supreme. That shiny propane grill may look cool but since there's no charcoal or wood burning, the meat just gets burnt and it has no smoky, woody BBQ taste.

To prevent web scraping bots from getting the links, we do not post links here. If you want a printable copy of the recipes posted on this blog, request a download link using the contact form. We’ll send you a link to a file that includes all recipes posted on this blog. 

What's Down There ?

 

Where does this road go ? What's down there ?  A flowing creek, a natural spring, an abandoned cabin, old barn, abandoned house ? We were wandering aimlessly and found this road. It turned out to be a great find. We followed the road, spent a quiet hour here eating lunch. The smell of gravel roads and wood smoke is beautiful.

The Path Less Eaten

Road Trip Food

I have seen several posts recently about road trip food. I thought I would write a post about what we eat when on the road… maybe a list of things we take like protein bars, sandwiches etc. This is personal preference. There’s just not a lot to say about food on the road without rambling about the obvious. You can prepare something at home to take with you or eat at restaurants. It might be tempting to take a highway exit and visit the cluster of franchise restaurants that are present at almost every exit. But settling for heavily processed fast food can mean missing out on some really good local food. We have our favorite places to eat in certain areas. These are special places, locally owned mom & pop restaurants that serve down home good food. One place makes great open face roast beef sandwiches and mashed potatoes with brown beef gravy poured over everything. If we’re in the area we always take time to eat there. The open-faced roast beef sandwich is the quintessential truck stop meal of the 1960’s. They were also popular at local mom-pop restaurants. Truck stops are now corporate chains which don’t bother to have their own restaurants, they just rent space to fast food chains. There are not many local restaurants like there once was but when you find one the food is usually very good. For a one tank trip, we don’t need a lot of food. It is important to have a cooler with plenty of water. We avoid sweet snacks or any form of sugar. Sugar gives you energy for a short time but soon leaves you feeling tired. We usually have homemade beef jerky and always have a bag of mixed nuts in the car. That’s often all we need for a day trip. For a longer trip, raw vegetables, cheese, boiled eggs and grapes are perfect.

Road Tripping | Camping

Road Tripping (Moving from place to place) - Camping (Staying in one place)
Cryss and I were talking about primitive camping vs pulling a camper. No, we’re not considering buying a camper, pulling a camper is not conducive to our style of travel. Navigating through small towns and curvy, hilly back roads while pulling a camper can be a challenge. Traveling a narrow, bumpy gravel road while pulling a camper is not something I want to do.  Primitive camping works best for us. We like camping but only do it when it’s combined with a trip and we avoid traditional camp grounds. If we expect to be on a trip overnight, we take our camping gear. Tent, ground pads, sleeping bags, and our backpack. Our backpack is a large military (government issue) rucksack with frame. It contains everything we need for up to four days, including homemade MRE’s (Meals Ready To Eat). If you have the right gear, primitive camping can be very comfortable. In the morning we make coffee, eat, pack everything into the car and we’re free to continue our journey. Traveling from place to place allows us to do spontaneous travel. We sometimes meet people who tell us about an interesting place so we may take a temporary detour. We’re happiest on trips doing everyday things, chatting with people who live in places we visit and finding little surprises that we wasn’t looking for…just watching the everyday life that goes on around us. We like being on the road, exploring new places and meeting new people.

The Goodale

 

Goodale Park

I occasionally share recipes… Here’s something from a Columbus deli.

It’s the Good Ole Goodale, named after the iconic Goodale Park in the heart of the Short North, the Good Ole Goodale is the most popular sandwich at the Short North Bagel Deli. In the heart of Ohio’s capital city, Goodale Park is a haven of green space in the midst of urban living. The picturesque park is one of the first city parks in the United States, and its history dates back to the mid-19th century. Goodale Park covers nearly 30 acres, and its central location makes it easy to get to from anywhere in Columbus. The park is bordered by North High Street, West Goodale Street, Park Street, and Buttles Avenue.

Block’s Bagel
Block’s homemade cream cheese
Thinly sliced Brickman’s Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast
Thick, hand-sliced piece Colby Jack cheese
1 Hass avocado, freshly mashed
Honey mustard dressing, to taste
Iceberg lettuce, chopped

 The Goodale starts with a freshly baked Block’s Bagel - plain or whole wheat. 
Add a generous schmear of Block’s homemade cream cheese, followed by a pile of thinly sliced Brickman’s oven roasted Turkey Breast and a thick, hand-sliced piece of Colby Jack cheese.
Put all that in the steamer and let it work its magic. Once the bagel is super soft, the meat is nice and hot and the cheese is ooey gooey, take the top half of the bagel out of the steamer and add a hearty layer of freshly mashed Hass avocado, drench it with some tangy honey mustard dressing and throw on a handful of chopped iceberg lettuce.

To prevent web scraping bots from getting the links, we do not post links here. If you want a printable copy of the recipes posted on this blog, request a download link using the contact form. We’ll send you a link to a file that includes all recipes posted on this blog. 

The Village Smithy

A Working Blacksmith Shop - A blacksmith is a craftsman who fabricates objects out of iron by hot and cold forging on an anvil. Blacksmiths who specialized in the forging of shoes for horses were called farriers. Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, grilles, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, agricultural implements, decorative and religious items and cooking utensils. There are about 57 blacksmiths in Ohio. Some operate as instructors, some give demonstrations and some are working blacksmiths who do custom work and produce items for sale.