36 HOURS OF SUNSHINE IN THE FORECAST

Look at this!  Sunshine!  Glorious sunshine!

We had planned to leave Boerne on Wednesday, but the weather was SO BAD – pouring rain and wind – that we decided to stay another day and hope the weather cleared.  It rained all night Wednesday night and, after 36 nonstop hours of rain, we developed a leak: the skylight in the shower began to drip.  Drip, drip, drip… but, if water is going to come in somewhere, where better than an area designed for drips?  We didn’t even need to set a bucket in place!

See Odel up on the roof in this photo?  He is in determined DIY mode, scraping and caulking in the sunshine.  Since rain is forecast again before long, finding and fixing the leak is a priority.

Even though it continued to rain Thursday, we wanted to GET MOVING.  We drove through pouring rain and filthy road spray to the tiny town (population 298) of Carmine, Texas, about half way to our goal, Lovelady, Texas.  The rain finally ended overnight, and we were on the road early Friday.  As we continued east, the sun peeked through the clouds long enough to illuminate the road ahead, and I snapped a photo of the blessed event. :)  It was the end of the big storm (now dumping feet of snow along the east coast), at last.

Soon we were settled into our customary spot at the Bartees’ house.  On prior visits, I would have said “our customary spot on the Bartees’ property” – but they have a beautiful new home, built since we last visited in April of 2008.  It is perfect for this setting and, because they carefully built within the existing trees, looks like its been here for years. 

We plan to visit for several days, so I’ll have more photos of this relaxing spot.  Now, though, Odel has finished his work up top, so we’re off to enjoy a walk in the sunshine.

MORE CROCK POT RECIPES, AND PHOTOS FROM A PAST VISIT

Maybe due to the cold and dreary weather, I’ve been into using the crock pot lately – so have two more recipes to share. Since we didn’t do a darn thing on Tuesday (other than visit the grocery store), today is a good day to do so.

The first is a recipe I have held on to for over a year and finally got around to trying a couple of days ago: Slow-Cooker Braised Pork with Salsa. Because the juice needs to be reduced by half or more at then end of the cooking time, it is a tiny bit more work than “set it and forget it” – but the result is SO worth it! This recipe makes a BIG batch.

The other is another vegetable recipe. Root vegetables seem to be made for crockpot cooking, keeping a recognizable shape and texture while they sweeten with the long cooking. My vegetarian sister Sydney passed this yummy recipe along to me: Balsamic-Braised Root Vegetables. These are dynamite with Costco’s superb lamb chops - for omnivores. :)

Both recipes have been added to the recipe archive on the left side of the blog (scroll way down).

Today’s pictures? We’ve been in the fog for so long that I searched my old photos for reminders of the beauty of the Texas Hill Country in warmer (or sunnier) weather. The top photo shows the Guadalupe River in sunshine, near Kerrville, in March of 2007.

While we were there, Luna found a spot in the yard of the Kerrville Elks RV parking lot that drove her WILD. She spent many happy moments rubbing and drooling on this cinder block, returning again and again. I’m happy to say that the photo brought a smile to my face rather than tears to my eyes. What a funny girl she was!

YET ANOTHER COLD, DREARY DAY IN BOERNE, TX

As promised, here is the recipe for Peanutty Chicken Stew, shared with me by my cousin Donna.  I’ve added it to the recipe archive on the left side of the blog.  I characterize it as spicy – definitely has a slow heat build up, but it is just right for us and anyone but the truly spicy-averse.

Whenever I make a new recipe, I try to follow it closely in both ingredients and technique… and then proceed to make the changes that appeal to me.  :)  In the case of Peanutty Chicken Stew, I made a boo-boo that slightly changed the ingredients, accidently opening a can of “petite diced tomatoes” instead of “tomato puree”.  I’m sure the flavor was barely changed – if at all – but the texture was different.  I think the chunky texture lends itself well to a vegetarian meal, especially since the chicken is not cooked in the stew, but added (already cooked) just long enough to heat up.  I added a couple comments along those lines to the recipe.

Another new recipe, also with a couple adaptations: Carrots with Toasted Cumin.  I love cooking vegetables in the slow cooker – one less dish to take up space on the stovetop at dinner time.  When I first made this recipe, I didn’t have cumin seed, so substituted ground cumin (I’ve since made it both ways). 

The recipe indicated that the sauce could be reduced by removing the lid from the slow cooker 15 minutes before serving. My slow cooker doesn’t work well to simmer sauce to a reduction, so I simply dump the slow cooker contents into a skillet and simmer it until the sauce thickens and glazed the carrots – so much for space on the stove top, but the yummy result is worth it.  These carrots go particularly well with grilled meats and a grain pilaf.

Yesterday was another gray day in the Hill Country, slightly warmer but much wetter than the day before.  We took off just after noon to meet The Damn Near Perfect Couple, Keith and Brenda.  They are currently in New Braunfels, Texas, about 50 miles east of us, and sent an email recently suggesting we get together while we are in the area.  Especially in this bleak weather, we were happy for a chance to socialize with other fulltime travelers.  Odel used the internet to find My Place Bar and Grill, a local joint halfway between us, and we met yesterday for brisket sandwiches and chat.

Top photo: driving through the cold, wet fog, heading to our lunch date.  Bottom photo: warm and happy with Keith and Brenda.  It’s all about friendships.  :) 

As usual, the talk was far-ranging; RV’ers have so many shared topics of interest.  Keith characterized Brenda as the “Cheesecake Goddess”, and we paid particular attention to her rhapsodic description of Candied Red Jalapeno Cheesecake.  She promised to send the recipe, and I’m pretty sure we’ll be giving it a try.

Today: even heavier fog out there this morning (which I didn’t think was possible).  We have a date with the H.E.B., laying in supplies for our departure.  Tomorrow we move on, so sad to be heading out without Luna, but full of good memories of her travels with us.

Go hug someone.