Well its finally happened to me. I am a homebody. I can’t help it, I just love being at home. It’s quiet and peaceful. We have no visible neighbors and we can only hear cars from a distance. There are plenty of woods to explore as we live next to Stanley Eddy Memorial Park Reserve giving us an 879-acre backyard. After 16 years and a few additions here and there, our home is comfortable and Mike has worked hours and hours to give us a picturesque yard. The only thing missing is a lake but that’s right across the road and thanks to our wonderful neighbors we can walk over and enjoy Lake Francis anytime we want.
Why this sudden appreciation for our home? We vacationed in New York City! I loved the sights but could have enjoyed them more had it not been for the other
5.5 million people crowding around me. We stayed in Queens because we wanted to get out of Manhattan at night to relax. This was nice and thanks to the subway system it was easy to get there, but when I saw the yard I remembered an old expression, “Not big enough to swing a cat in.” I NOW know what that means. It wasn’t a yard, it was an 8 by 12 piece of grass surrounded by a concrete fence. Everywhere you looked there was someone or something moving constantly. I could hardly catch my breath. I was overstimulated and couldn’t get my bearings. This is new for me as I once traveled quite often for work. A quick peek at Lady Liberty and I could hardly wait to board the plane and go home.
Growing up in Schroeder was very similar to my home life now. A comfy, quiet house. Lots of woods to explore. A couple of dogs at my side. I didn’t appreciate it when I was a kid. I craved the city life. I was young and I wanted excitement and fun. I wanted to go to the movies without driving 85 miles to Duluth. Now I really love my home and I want to be there all the time. I am a true homebody. I think I must get this from my Dad. Our family calls him a “barn-runner”. If you don’t know this expression it means it’s ok to wonder about for awhile but as soon as you turn towards home, you run! That’s me now. I do like to get out and about but as Dorothy once said “there’s no place like home”. Peace, Sandy
“Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave and grow old wanting to get back to.” ~ Unknown
All of these recipes are delicious dipped in your favorite tomato sauce!
Simple Homemade Stromboli
1 (1 pound) loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
4 slices hard salami
4 slices thinly sliced ham
4 slices American cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Pat out bread dough on an ungreased baking sheet, to 3/4-inch thickness. Lay salami, ham, and American cheese slices in center of dough. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper. Wrap dough to cover ingredients, pinching and sealing edges to prevent leakage; brush top with egg white.
Bake in preheated oven until dough is baked and lightly browned, 17 to 20 minutes.
Homemade Mozzarella Sticks
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1-quart oil for deep frying
1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese sticks
In a small bowl, mix the eggs and water.
Mix the bread crumbs and garlic salt in a medium bowl. In a medium bowl, blend the flour and cornstarch.
In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil to 365 degrees.
One at a time, coat each mozzarella stick in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then in the bread crumbs and finally into the oil. Fry until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.
Homemade Cheese Bread
4 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese (1 cup)
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped green onion (to taste)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp sour cream (optional)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 stick unsalted butter (1/4 cup, 2 ounces), softened to the point of being slightly melted
1 loaf of French or Italian bread (I used Ciabatta)
Make the cheesy topping: In a small bowl, mix the butter and garlic together until smooth. In a separate large bowl, mix together the cheeses and the green onion. Stir in the mayonnaise and sour cream. Add the butter mixture to the cheese mixture.
Spread cheese over bread: Preheat broiler. Slice loaf of bread in half horizontally, lay crust side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spread cheese mixture over the bread.
Place under the broiler until nicely browned, about 3 to
5 minutes.
Slice: Remove from broiler and let sit for 5 minutes until cool enough to handle. Slice the bread with a bread knife. Serve.