Life on the road

MMMMM, Look At That Sandwich!

Isn’t it beautiful? For most people, having a sandwich for lunch, dinner, a picnic, or even for breakfast is just another humdrum, ordinary day. They can walk into any burger joint, restaurant, or sandwich shop and order a ham and swiss on rye, or a Ruben, or a tuna salad sandwich, or a hamburger, and know they can eat it with no problem at all.

But, for those of us who are gluten intolerant or who have Celiac disease, that is not the case. We order a baked potato, or a salad “hold the croutons”, or a “hamburger no bun”, and sit there and watch as our friends and family enjoy that delicious bun or bread in the form of a sandwich.

Most of you won’t ever know what that is like, or even think that it is a problem. And you probably don’t even think about it. You see us sitting there eating our salad or potato and think that is what we really WANTED to eat. But being able to eat a nice, delicious sandwich would be soooooooo nice!

And the reason I bring this up is because I know there are companies out there who make gluten free hamburger buns and gluten free bread. How hard could it be for a restaurant or hamburger place to get some, and keep them in the freezer. The buns or bread can be thawed in a gluten free microwave, and then toasted in a gluten free toaster, as needed. Heck, I do it all the time at home. I would GLADLY pay the extra cost of the gluten free bun or bread, even if it was $2.00 per serving, just so I could have a sandwich when I am out with FabGrandpa.

So, next time you are in a sandwich or burger place, ask them if they have a comment card or form. Get one, fill it out, and tell them you want your gluten free friends to be able to eat there with you. Suggest to them that they should get some gluten free buns and bread, and make a little effort to feed the rest of us! Let them know we expect to pay more, and that we will come to their place of business instead of the other places, just because we’ll be able to get a sandwich there. Ah, a delicious gluten free sandwich. MMMMMMMMM…….

Oh, and YES, that is a homemade gluten free sandwich in the picture.

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Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Karen · 3 Comments

A while back, I wrote about my Mother’s stuffed cabbage recipe. She won Recipe Of The Year from the Greystone Power folks, for her version of it. Stuffed Cabbage, or Galumpkis, has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Mama’s heritage is from Russia and Austria. She grew up in a Polish neighborhood in Detroit. It was only when she married my farm boy dad that she came to Georgia and learned how to cook butter beans and corn bread and fried okra. Those Galumpkis were a family tradition in her family, and soon became one in our branch of the family, too.

I read about a stuffed cabbage casserole on a Yahoo forum a couple of months ago, and filed that little tidbit away for future reference. So, yesterday, I was sewing away on my quilt project, and for some reason I started thinking about Galumpkis. And I thought to myself, “There is no way I have time to make them Mama’s way today.” But, oh, the taste of them called to me.

I got up and went to look in the refrigerator, and sure enough, there was that cabbage sitting in there. So, here is what I did with it:

1/2 lb ground meat (your choice, I use a mix of 1/3 beef, 1/3 turkey, and 1/3 pork)
1/2 lb sage breakfast sausage
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked rice
1 small can tomato paste
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
1 small head of cabbage, shredded

In a large dutch oven, cook the ground meat, sausage, bell pepper, onion, and garlic until meat is browned. Stir in all the rest of the ingredients. Pour into a 13 X 9 casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees.

This tasted a LOT like the stuffed cabbages my Mother makes, but not EXACTLY like it. And it probably won’t win a recipe contest, but hey, if you want the taste but don’t have time, it is a pretty good second. (Don’t tell Mama I cheated, ok?)

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Goodbye To A Dear Friend

Karen · 11 Comments

There has been so much in the news these last few days about the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. While the loss of those two celebrities may be big news, the demise of my long time friend, The Big White Bowl, will have a huge impact on my daily life.

Mine is a loss only a cook will understand. The Big White Bowl has been a part of my life for a very long time. I can’t remember exactly when it came into my life, but I think it was Christmas, 1972. My first husband had a charming way of giving me small electric appliances as gifts. And while I really liked that Kenmore Stand Mixer, it was The Big White Bowl that came with it that stole my heart.

The Big White Bowl was made of glass. It was the perfect size and shape for mixing just about anything. The Big White Bowl and I made a good team, and prepared countless meals for my family together over the years. There have been hundreds of meatloaves, pancakes, corn breads, biscuits, cakes, salads, and others too numerous to mention mixed in that bowl. Sadly, I could only find one picture of it in my vast photo collection.

The Big White Bowl moved many times, and has traveled all over the country with me . During the period of my life when I was divorced and moved 15 times in 5 years, The Big White Bowl helped comfort me and my children with many batches of Chocolate Chip Cookies. It was always lovingly wrapped and cushioned during each move, to protect it from harm. The Big White Bowl lived most of its life in Georgia, but has also lived in Florida, Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and spent its last days at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

When I came home from work last night, FabGrandpa announced the death of The Big White Bowl. He stood there hanging his head in shame, while he told me that he broke The Big White Bowl while he was washing the dishes. While I cried over the tragic loss, FabGrandpa went on to say it was an accident, and that we would try to find another one to replace The Big White Bowl.

I’m sorry, FabGrandpa, we may find another bowl, but none could ever take the place of The Big White Bowl.

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Gluten Free In Kanab, Utah

Karen · 5 Comments

I have written about Kanab, Utah before. It is only seven miles north of the Arizona-Utah border, out in the middle of nowhere. The town was settled in the 1860’s, first as a fort for defense against the Paiute Indians, then as a Mormon settlement. It is now a tiny town of about 5,400 population.

It serves as a hub for agriculture, recreation, and tourism in this area, being located in the center of the triangle formed when you draw lines between Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park.

You can see why the town thrived, even though it was in a remote area. The Kanab Creek provides water, and makes the town look like an oasis in the middle of desert country.

We like doing business in Kanab, because the people here are so friendly. We can get just about anything we need here, from a good lunch at the Mexican restaurant, to new shoes, to tires and repairs to our diesel truck.

I love it that I can get lots of my favorite gluten free products at Honey’s Jubilee, a local independently owned grocery store. Last year, when I shopped there and found Bob’s Red Mill, Mi-Del, and Glutino products on the shelves, I was so happy I cried. When I checked out that first time in the store, I thanked the cashier for having such a good selection of gluten free products. She told me that the owner was celiac.

(Terrell, the owner of Honey’s Jubilee)

Not that I’m glad that Terrell is a celiac, but if he has to be, then I am glad he owns a grocery store. Because he has to eat a gluten free diet, he stocks things in his store that he can eat. It makes life easier on all of us in town (and out of town as well) who must eat the same gluten free way.

(look at the gluten free section in Honey’s!)

When we went to Page, a much bigger town, that even has a super Wal-Mart, AND two chain grocery stores, there was NOT ONE gluten free item to be found. No pasta, no bread mix, no buckwheat cereal, NOT even the gluten free Rice Chex. I was so disappointed with that. At one of the grocery stores, I even asked at the service desk and the girl said, “No we don’t have anything gluten free here. One of my co-workers found out last week that she is gluten intolerant and she can’t find anything here.” Isn’t that sad that a whole town has nothing to offer a person who is gluten free?

I was delighted to see that they had the new Betty Crocker Gluten Free mixes on the shelf at Honey’s. I didn’t need any of them this time, or believe me, I would have gotten one of each! I did get Bob’s Red Mill Bread Mix and some Creamy Buckwheat Cereal; Mi-Del Ginger Snaps; Glutino Frozen Bagels; Van’s Apple Cinnamon Waffles; and some Shar Table Crackers. I was in gluten free heaven!

So there you go! If you are a gluten free girl or guy, and you are planning to go on a trip to see Zion, Bryce, and North Rim Grand Canyon National Parks, go knowing you will find a gluten friendly place in Kanab. Honey’s Jubliee Grocery Store at 260 East 300 South – Kanab, Utah. And if you do go there, go to the service desk and ask for Terrell, and tell him FabGrandma sent you!

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My New Project

Karen · 12 Comments

Ok, it is not really new–I cut the original 3″ inch strips and sewed them together in March of 2008. The next step was to cut them on a 45 degree angle, then sew them together again. I had a fear of the 45 degree angle, so I put the entire project under the bed and slept on it, literally, for over a year.

(This is the pattern I am using)

Today was the day I decided to tackle those cuts. My folding table is stored behind the back seat of the truck. My iron is in the linen closet. Scissors, rotary cutter, thread, magnetic pin bowl are in the wicker trunk in the living area. The sewing machine, folding chair, cutting mat and rulers are all kept under the bed. It took a while to gather everything together, but I finally got started. Then I couldn’t figure out how to place the ruler on the fabric to accomplish the 45 degree cuts. Dang.

The guy who lives next door is a carpenter. I went over there and asked him about it, so he came over and helped me figure it out. Thanks, Dennis. Between the two of us we got it. He went home and I worked on it all afternoon. The picute above are all the strips I cut today. They are numbered because you have to sew them together in a certain order to get the pattern to come out right.

There are eight sections in all. I finished three of them today. This is going to be a really large quilt, queen sized at least. This one is for Becca and Ken. I have another set of strips all sewn together, with all the same fabrics except one (I didn’t have enough of all the fabrics to make two quilts). The second one is for Seth and Sarah. I am going to send both of them to be quilted by the lady who quilted Becky’s quilt for me. I think these are going to be gorgeous.

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We’re Looking For A Home…

Karen · 8 Comments

No, we are not going to stop living in our trailer and working at wonderful places like the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. But with the prices of real estate what they are right now, we would be crazy not to buy a house if we find the perfect one.

So, what is the perfect home for the FabGrandma? I am looking for a little white frame house, with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, and 1.5 to 5 acres, out in the country. A sweet little grandma house. One with a yard big enough to park our 34′ trailer in while we’re there. Something like this. Or this. Or this.

We want something ready to move into, no fixer uppers for us, please! We are looking in the west Georgia, east Alabama area, from roughly Franklin, Georgia, to Lineville, Alabama to Anniston, Alabama to Rome, Georgia. Roughly the area outlined in blue on this map:

That is a pretty big area, I know, but we don’t want to limit ourselves to one place and miss out on a good opportunity. We do like the Franklin area, though it is not the only area we want. If anyone out there reading this knows of a nice little place that fits the descripition, and is under $40,000, let me know! We could wind up being neighbors for the winter.

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I Had A Little Visitor On The Job Today

Karen · 8 Comments

I was working out at the entrance station today. I didn’t hear this little guy come in, but I did hear him bonk his little head on the window. He was stunned a little bit, I think.

He sat there on top of the sign that says “Sorry, Our Campground Is Full”, looking out at the meadow in the distance, probably wondering where the heck he was.

The little poser sat there quite still and let me get very close to get a nice picture. Then, I picked him in my hands, and took him outside, where he quickly flew away into the trees. It was amazing how soft and fluffy he was, and how he seemed to not weigh anything at all. I was afraid I might crush his little self if I held him too tightly.

Bye, bye, little friend! Come to visit again some time!

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Guess Who Is In Town?

Karen · 8 Comments

The bull bison I saw last week was scoping out the territory for his family. This morning when I went out to the entrance station, there they all were. And I had my camera this time:

When I drove up, they started running. What an amazing sight to see them all turn in unison and stampede across the meadow!

The whole herd stayed out there most of the day. They caused a “Buffalo Jam”, with tourists stopping to take pictures, parking all over the place, even leaving their cars in the road to get out and get closer.

The buffalo wandered around the meadow, sometimes going all the way over to the trees, sometimes coming back close to the road. Here they are all bunched up by the entrance sign:

When I had no cars coming, I watched them with binoculars. They really are amazing animals. I got lots of questions from visitors:

Are they wild? yes. Do they stay up here all winter? no. Where do they go when it gets cold? I have no idea, but probably down in the canyon. Have they birthed their young yet? I think so, because when I was out there this morning I saw some calves. How many are there? About 80 of them. Are they dangerous? yes, if you make them mad, they can charge you.

I hope I get to see them again soon.

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