On Wednesday, I couldn't stand the idea of not cooking a Thanksgiving meal just because I have a kitchen the size of a medium doghouse. So I brined four turkey legs that I had brought from home, and headed into town to fill out the menu, while Eric and Joey tore out the rear-end of a Kenworth semi-tractor. Between the two tiny stores in Watford City I found what I needed.
First thing, pumpkin pie...now where's that pie pan? Apparently, back in Hayden. Now what? How about an eight inch saute pan? In went the Pillsbury crust (no, I didn't make a scratch crust--I'm not that crazy)! Next, a filling from eclecticrecipes.com for "Healthier Pumpkin Pie" using almond milk, less sugar and four eggs. (I used two whole eggs, three whites, and increased the spices). Turns out the heavier pan solved the problem of the heat source being one inch from the rack, and the pie was perfect :). For cranberry sauce, I used a bag of fresh berries, one cup of sugar, one cup of orange/mango juice and 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. After it boiled up and all over the stove, it cooked down to syrupy goodness. I finished it with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and declared it good.
On to the dressing, the very best part of t-day dinner, in my opinion. With no artisanal bakeries in town, I turned to a beloved standard from my childhood, Mrs. Cubbisons, and made the recipe off the box for "lite" version, with the addition of turkey breakfast sausage. Tasted just as I remembered...I could eat a gallon of the stuff!
For the turkey, I used this month's Cook's Illustrated"s recipe for Easy Braised Turkey, scaled down to fit my only-slightly-larger-than-a-toaster-oven oven. Four drumsticks is max capacity. The aforementioned heat source problem made browning difficult, so I poured the wine and broth over the sizzling poultry and veggies, covered the pan and hoped for the best.
Meanwhile, I made the other sides--Brussels sprouts caramelized then braised in apple juice, green beans with bacon, and simple baked yams, which I squeezed in with the turkey. By now, I had dirtied nearly every dish and utensil in the kitchen so I cleaned up what I could before calling the guys in for dinner. They waited hungrily while I finished the gravy, also from this month's C.I.
Finally, dinner was served, and , keeping with tradition, we stuffed ourselves. Kind of undid my healthy tweaks, but who cares? It just adds motivation to work out more, right? Yeah, right. :)
After sending Joey home with a load of leftovers, we cleaned up and crawled into bed for some sweet tryptophan-induced slumber.
Thursday's breakfast was leftover dressing topped with eggs over easy, the perfect leftover user-upper. We buttoned up the camper which included draining, then flushing the pipes with anti-freeze. With lunch and snacks packed up, we headed into Williston to catch the 11:00 am Amtrak home to Hayden. This was my first domestic train ride, and I really liked--it was simple, easy and relaxed. We chatted with lots of interesting folks, enjoyed the views from the observation car and dined on white linen (turkey dinner, of course). After fifteen hours, we arrived in Sandpoint, ID and drove home in my Subaru that our employees had left at the station for us. It was about 1:30 am when we pulled up at the house, where we were joyfully greeted by our cats, Crash and Gabhy. I'm with Dorothy--there's no place like home.
What am I thankful for? So many things--family, friends and home, of course. The amazing kindness and generosity of people we have met in North Dakota. The beauty and richness of our country. Our health. This year, though, I am extra thankful for the opportunities in North Dakota. For so many, a job in NoDak will mean the difference between keeping or losing their home, sending their kids to college, or paying off a hospital bill. For thousands of families, there is hope.
Thanks for sharing some time with me. I will happily respond to any comments Have a wonderful weekend!
Scroll down for photos of dinner and the resulting mess!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Moving Day
On Sunday, Eric and Joey, our new friend whose property we are staying on, spent the day driving driving truck with Joey's lowboy trailer. I stayed home and nested, making a batch of "Perfect Cocoa Brownies" from the blog "The Comfort of Cooking" I used Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder, which is a natural/dutched cocoa blend. They came out chewy, crisp around the edges, and not too sweet. With the addition of walnuts they were just the way I like them! Eric called and asked, as he always does, "What's for dinner?" "Salmon burgers" I replied. "Is there enough for Joey?" "Uhhh, sure, I'll just make more sides." Thus, we had our first dinner guest. Along with the burgers, we had quinoa pilaf, broccoli, and salad. Oh, and brownies...yum!
Monday was all about preparing to move the camper and equipment. I was cooking some turkey chili when Eric's phone rang--it was Joey, reporting on his day. So naturally Eric invited him for dinner. No problem, I make big batches...and we enjoy his company--he's quite a character.
Today we actually got moved, and went to the high school for a dinner auction. Got to meet some locals, who were all super nice, and were served dinner (chicken, short ribs, baked potatoes and coleslaw) by the National Honor Society students. There were something like forty of them from a relatively small school, and interestingly, they were all weight appropriate. Makes me happy.
Scroll down to see a photo of our new view, and also what the wine cellar in a camper looks like :)
Monday was all about preparing to move the camper and equipment. I was cooking some turkey chili when Eric's phone rang--it was Joey, reporting on his day. So naturally Eric invited him for dinner. No problem, I make big batches...and we enjoy his company--he's quite a character.
Today we actually got moved, and went to the high school for a dinner auction. Got to meet some locals, who were all super nice, and were served dinner (chicken, short ribs, baked potatoes and coleslaw) by the National Honor Society students. There were something like forty of them from a relatively small school, and interestingly, they were all weight appropriate. Makes me happy.
Scroll down to see a photo of our new view, and also what the wine cellar in a camper looks like :)
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Finding a Home
We moved again on Thursday, up the hill to a small RV lot (we won't call it a park, because the only plants in sight are tumbleweeds). The setting wasn't ideal, but you take what you get. The next day we winterized the camper with foam board insulation, no simple job in the shockingly cold wind. We bought the last 3 boards at the local building supply store, which was enough with the four that we brought with us. The discard trailer had all the lumber we needed, so we were happy to re-purpose them and save about $100. Prices here are up to double what we pay at home. We spent the afternoon crafting the most airtight camper skirting ever. This is really important because without skirting, the plumbing freezes. Everything here freezes...pipes. pumps, door latches, flashlight controls, windows, toothpaste, vents, my ass...everything. We slept soundly, knowing all was well. For a while.
In the wee hours we were rattled out of slumber by the jarring noise of a truck's jake brakes. Next was the sound of slamming trailer doors. People work odd hours here and aren't concerned about being quiet. Normally this would really bug me, but I've gained a zen-like acceptance of things here. Just deal with it, I told myself.
During breakfast we received a call from a new friend of Eric's, who owns some property just outside of town. He had a business proposition which included a space for our camper, and all of our equipment. We checked it out, and it was perfect...quiet and convenient with a sweeping view of rolling hills. We came to an agreement and will move on Monday. Yay!!
To celebrate, I made what I call North Plains Chicken---boneless skinless thighs with a pan sauce of onions, prosciutto,white wine, chicken broth and herbed chevre. The prosciutto is a great flavor booster and lasts for months in the fridge, and the chevre adds a tangy creaminess with only 70 calories per ounce, and it melts beautifully. With some quinoa, broccoli and vino, it was a happy little dinner. Tomorrow we move a few things, then back to the Badlands for a run!
In the wee hours we were rattled out of slumber by the jarring noise of a truck's jake brakes. Next was the sound of slamming trailer doors. People work odd hours here and aren't concerned about being quiet. Normally this would really bug me, but I've gained a zen-like acceptance of things here. Just deal with it, I told myself.
During breakfast we received a call from a new friend of Eric's, who owns some property just outside of town. He had a business proposition which included a space for our camper, and all of our equipment. We checked it out, and it was perfect...quiet and convenient with a sweeping view of rolling hills. We came to an agreement and will move on Monday. Yay!!
To celebrate, I made what I call North Plains Chicken---boneless skinless thighs with a pan sauce of onions, prosciutto,white wine, chicken broth and herbed chevre. The prosciutto is a great flavor booster and lasts for months in the fridge, and the chevre adds a tangy creaminess with only 70 calories per ounce, and it melts beautifully. With some quinoa, broccoli and vino, it was a happy little dinner. Tomorrow we move a few things, then back to the Badlands for a run!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Ups and Downs
As in anyone's life, this week has had it's high and low points. Here, it seems to be dialed up a notch, probably because of everything being so far from normal for me.
On Saturday, we went to Theodore Roosevelt National Park for a run/walk/hike through the Badlands. It was a pretty day, high puffy clouds and about 43 degrees.We checked out the prairie dog town and man, are they cute! We followed a nature trail up to a ridge and down onto a road where we encountered a huge bull bison. He wasn't just standing there, either. He was trotting towards us at a pretty good clip. It was definitely one of those "OH, SHIT!' moments. "Go down this slope and get behind that juniper tree. Make room for me!' Eric urged quietly. I pushed my way through the scratchy branches and peeked out from behind the trunk. Eric was cautiously checking out the road, and I worried that the beast would come charging over the road bank. Eric motioned for me to come out, whispering "He's moving on." I got back up to the road in time to catch one last glimpse of him disappearing around the bend, too late for a photo. Turns out there was a young couple walking up the road behind the bison and that was why he was running. Whew!
We continued on through some amazing Badland formations and looped back to the truck for a total of about seven miles. It felt great to get some exercise!
Back at the camper, I made a quick pork tenderloin stew with an apple/wine gravy and buttermilk-herb mashed potatoes, with spinach salad as a starter...what a nice way to end a beautiful day.
Sunday was not so great. We went to the little town of Killdeer, about 100 miles away to investigate a job lead and do some laundry, which can be a challenge with all the oil workers here.. The one laundromat in town was inside a small truck stop, right next to the trucker showers. Kind of scroungy but usable. We drove another fifteen miles to the appointment which was enlightening but not too productive. On the way back, we stopped by the truck stop to get a snack to hold us till dinner. I got out of the truck, and some guys in a pickup stopped, rolled down there window and openly gawked at me. Now, I'm no 25 year old cupcake. I'm a 52 year old woman in jeans and a heavy winter coat. I looked at Eric and said "I'm fully clothed, right?" This is what happens when the population is only one percent female. It's downright creepy!
Monday was a middle-ish day. I was trying to make business cards using a downloaded template, something that should have been very simple. But for me, new computer tasks are almost always an exercise in frustration. When Eric saw my face he knew that I needed a break, so we went out for a walk. That night for dinner I decided to honor Meatless Monday with portabello mushrooms stuffed with quinoa,spinach and feta cheese, with pan-braised beets in red wine and balsamic vinegar. With a couple of glasses of wine, my mood improved considerably. Off to our cozy bed and it's thick down comforter :)
On Saturday, we went to Theodore Roosevelt National Park for a run/walk/hike through the Badlands. It was a pretty day, high puffy clouds and about 43 degrees.We checked out the prairie dog town and man, are they cute! We followed a nature trail up to a ridge and down onto a road where we encountered a huge bull bison. He wasn't just standing there, either. He was trotting towards us at a pretty good clip. It was definitely one of those "OH, SHIT!' moments. "Go down this slope and get behind that juniper tree. Make room for me!' Eric urged quietly. I pushed my way through the scratchy branches and peeked out from behind the trunk. Eric was cautiously checking out the road, and I worried that the beast would come charging over the road bank. Eric motioned for me to come out, whispering "He's moving on." I got back up to the road in time to catch one last glimpse of him disappearing around the bend, too late for a photo. Turns out there was a young couple walking up the road behind the bison and that was why he was running. Whew!
We continued on through some amazing Badland formations and looped back to the truck for a total of about seven miles. It felt great to get some exercise!
Back at the camper, I made a quick pork tenderloin stew with an apple/wine gravy and buttermilk-herb mashed potatoes, with spinach salad as a starter...what a nice way to end a beautiful day.
Sunday was not so great. We went to the little town of Killdeer, about 100 miles away to investigate a job lead and do some laundry, which can be a challenge with all the oil workers here.. The one laundromat in town was inside a small truck stop, right next to the trucker showers. Kind of scroungy but usable. We drove another fifteen miles to the appointment which was enlightening but not too productive. On the way back, we stopped by the truck stop to get a snack to hold us till dinner. I got out of the truck, and some guys in a pickup stopped, rolled down there window and openly gawked at me. Now, I'm no 25 year old cupcake. I'm a 52 year old woman in jeans and a heavy winter coat. I looked at Eric and said "I'm fully clothed, right?" This is what happens when the population is only one percent female. It's downright creepy!
Monday was a middle-ish day. I was trying to make business cards using a downloaded template, something that should have been very simple. But for me, new computer tasks are almost always an exercise in frustration. When Eric saw my face he knew that I needed a break, so we went out for a walk. That night for dinner I decided to honor Meatless Monday with portabello mushrooms stuffed with quinoa,spinach and feta cheese, with pan-braised beets in red wine and balsamic vinegar. With a couple of glasses of wine, my mood improved considerably. Off to our cozy bed and it's thick down comforter :)
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Settling In
We've been in Watford City for one week now, getting used to the way things work here. The locals are very nice, especially considering that their quiet little town has been invaded by thousands of oil workers. Some of these guys are quite surly, maybe because they've been using the sleeper of their semi-tractor as a house for months.
The first stop for most oil workers is Williston, about 55 miles north of here. We went there a few weeks ago on our first trip and spent the night (along with hundreds of other nomads) in the Walmart parking lot. How surreal to see people sleeping in everything from compact cars to huge motorhomes in temperatures well below freezing. Inside the store it was even stranger. The shelves were half to three quarters empty, merchandise scattered on the floor, and only about four checkstands open with long, long lines of hollow-eyed, zombie-like workers along with some normal but weary locals. We gathered a few provisions and scurried back to our camper, where we locked the door on the madness outside.
I was sure there were good things about this place, but for now our warm cocoon atop our pickup was enough.
The first stop for most oil workers is Williston, about 55 miles north of here. We went there a few weeks ago on our first trip and spent the night (along with hundreds of other nomads) in the Walmart parking lot. How surreal to see people sleeping in everything from compact cars to huge motorhomes in temperatures well below freezing. Inside the store it was even stranger. The shelves were half to three quarters empty, merchandise scattered on the floor, and only about four checkstands open with long, long lines of hollow-eyed, zombie-like workers along with some normal but weary locals. We gathered a few provisions and scurried back to our camper, where we locked the door on the madness outside.
I was sure there were good things about this place, but for now our warm cocoon atop our pickup was enough.
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