My Grandfather and the CCC at Poe Valley State Park

Nestled within Bald Eagle State Forest in central Pennsylvania lies a natural, historic gem: Poe Valley State Park.  Our family decided to spend the day there this Independence Day weekend, and once the sun finally came out and it warmed up into the seventies, we had a great time.

This park is one of several state parks in Pennsylvania that was built or greatly improved through the efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression, otherwise known as the CCC.  This park has special significance to me since my grandfather was one of those young men who built the dam at this park when he was 22 years old.

The man-made lake and beach area were nearly vacant when we arrived shortly before noon, but it did fill up by the time we left later in the day.  The Poe Valley Dam can be seen off in the distance.

We couldn't find our beach buckets and had to make do with the plastic cups we brought, but the children had a great time trying to build sandcastles around the 25-acre Poe Lake.

I thought the water was freezing, but our younger ones didn't seem to mind.  The beach area has a new bath house and concession stand that served plenty of hot foods to warm us up as well as ice cream and other cold foods for the sunny late afternoon.

As I watched my children play and have a great time today, I wondered what it was like for my grandfather here in 1935 as he worked to build the dam, create roads, and plant pine trees.  The photographs I have seen show a young, attractive man looking proud and happy with his accomplishments.

Next to the swimming area are kayak, canoe, and paddle boat rentals.

Our 14 year old son enjoyed his first kayaking experience, especially after he came back for his fishing gear.

According to him, (and he is our family fisherman) the lake was full of bass, muskies, and perch.  I'll take his word for it because I didn't see any fish at all.

Next to the beach and small boat dock, there is a terrific playground and climbing wall.

This was definitely a treat since we were cooped up all day yesterday due to more heavy rain and temps only in the sixties---for a second Saturday in a row!

Of course, there are also plenty of hiking trails, which we didn't get to today.  There are also campgrounds with a few available cabins that have electricity and heat, but no running water.  My girls and I are not camping kinds of girls, so we didn't do that either.

There are also numerous picnic tables, pavilions, and grills, but these fill up quickly during holiday weekends, especially near the beach area.  We lucked out because when we arrived at 11:30 AM, it was cloudy and still only 65 degrees, so we practically had the park to ourselves.  When we left at 4, however, most of the good spots were spoken for.

When I was growing up, most families I knew had annual reunions at state parks such as this.  I don't see that as much anymore, which makes me feel a bit sad.  Funding has been cut for many of these parks, and swimming pools, concessions stands, and other amenities have been closed while lifeguards and other personnel have been let go.  It did my heart good to spend this Independence Day weekend with my family continuing this tradition on a smaller scale, especially knowing that we would not be able to enjoy this beautiful place without the hard work of my grandfather and the other 199 CCC boys who were here 80 years ago.

Anniversary Surprises

It isn't easy to plan a surprise away from home for my husband with a house full of children and no grandparents nearby to babysit on short notice.  This was the first year since we've been married that I had the opportunity to plan something special for our wedding anniversary away from the house but not at a restaurant, and it was so much fun.

I started by placing a London Broil flank steak in the crockpot with a can of creamy tomato soup, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and a package of dry onion soup mix sprinkled over the top.  I let this cook on low heat for about 9 hours.

Next, I partially thawed a 1.5 quart container of French vanilla ice cream and a can of frozen pink lemonade concentrate.  Then I mixed the two together in a big bowl and poured into 2 prepared graham cracker pie crusts, so there would be one pie for us and another for the children.  As it turns out, the kids found it too tart for their taste, but I think it's great for a summer dessert.  These went into the freezer to re-freeze.

In the afternoon, I sent my older son into the garden to pick fresh kale, beets, onions, and radishes for a tossed salad.  I also added some sliced mushrooms.  I cheated and used a bottle of raspberry walnut vinaigrette instead of making my own salad dressing, but I love this in the summer.  Into the refrigerator it went.

As it neared the time for my husband to return home from work, I left a note on our front screen door to meet me up at our cabin.  I had helpers carry items up, including some linen spray to mask the closed-up cabin smell, old tapered candles (the only ones I could find other than from our Advent wreath) and inexpensive candlestick holders, hand-painted wine glasses since there are none at the cabin (must change that,) and a bottle of red wine from a local winery.

The final dish I prepared at the cabin since it needed to be cooked at the last minute.  I made a pot of Jasmati brown rice and added some sauteed peas from our gardens and sliced mushrooms, and then sprinkled in some cumin.

As I've mentioned before, this cabin was just recently purchased and had been a hunting camp for decades, so it is rather rustic and needs some work.  However, it was fully equipped with everything I needed to make a dinner for two (except for the wine glasses and matching water glasses.)  Best of all, my husband was quite surprised, and we had a leisurely, quiet, uninterrupted anniversary dinner without having to go out to do so.  We were less than a quarter of a mile away from our farmhouse and the children, yet it felt like we were on a vacation retreat in the mountains.  We even got in a game of air hockey, but I won't say who won.

This is me feeling a bit proud of myself---at successfully pulling off a surprise dinner, or about the air hockey game---I'll let you decide.

Antiquing for Desks on a Cool, Rainy Weekend

Here in the Alleghenies we had a weekend with lots of rain and temperatures that barely hit the sixty degree mark.  To fill an afternoon, my husband and I went antique shopping with my parents-in-law who were visiting from out of town.  I am in desperate need of some kind of desk to hold a laptop computer and small printer.  For now it needs to be housed in a corner of our farm kitchen, so it can't be too ornate.  Something simple, not modern, and in a country style would be ideal.

This is what is sitting there now, and as you can see, it will not do.

This does not at all go with the style of this house, but it's what we had when we moved here, and it served its purpose.  However, it is definitely time to move on.

I like this walnut schoolmaster's desk, but when it opens, it sits out relatively far from the wall, and I'm afraid it will block the back door.

This was the favorite of my mother-in-law.  It is simple and would match much of the oak furniture in our house, plus it has a shelf underneath to hold the printer.

I loved this mahogany secretary's desk, but with its claw feet, darker wood, and decorative features, I'm afraid it will be too Victorian looking for this house.

If you can see beyond all the items on top, this cherry secretary desk is nice; although, it's a little on the smaller side.

This olive wood desk was quite unique, but I'm just not sure it's the right fit for my kitchen.

Finally, there was this interesting desk that opens up and has a built-in bookshelf on the back side.  However, we could not figure out how to place it in the kitchen and be able to use the bookshelf since I need to push it up against the wall.

All the desks we looked at were in the $150-$600 range.  I cannot make up my mind, and would love some input from others with more experience in antique furnishings.

Which one do you think would be the perfect fit for my century-old farmhouse?

Summer Traditions #3: Shelling Peas on the Porch

Although my parents no longer keep a vegetable garden, we did always have one in the summer when I was growing up.  My sister and I were responsible for tossing out rocks (a job that we hated) and helping shell peas, snap beans, and shuck corn.  My mother would then blanch and freeze dozens of little plastic baggies stuffed full of the produce for us to consume in the winter.  I actually liked shelling peas.  We would sit on the porch and talk and sample a few of the delicious raw sweet peas while we worked.  Corn shucking was just as fun as we eagerly anticipated eating the mouth watering corn on the cob dripping with melted butter and salt later in the day.

I picked the last of our sugar peas the other day, and our youngest patiently helped me shell peas while we swung on the porch swing, talking and watching the butterflies and bumblebees retrieve nectar from the flowering bushes next to us.  Any peas that popped out of the shells and missed the bowl were played with by one of our cats as she ran all over the porch chasing and pawing at the pea like a hockey player after a puck.  It took us about an hour to shell one basket of peas, and in the end, we only froze 2 quarts.  Now this was our fourth harvesting, and we also got a meal out of all the baby sugar peas still in their pods, which are truly the best.  However, when I can buy a pound of frozen organic peas for $2, it sometimes makes me question whether it was worth the total time of 3 hours that it took me to pick, sort, shell, and bag those peas.  But how do you put a price on knowing that the food you are serving your family came from your own hands and land?  Not to mention that the childhood experience of shelling peas on the porch swing with your mama wouldn't exist if I purchased all our produce from the supermarket.  So I will carry on this childhood tradition as well and hope that my children will grow up to cherish these memories as much as I do.

Berry Picking in the Mountains

We awoke this morning to a blue sky, a slight breeze, and much lower humidity.  It was a perfect day for berry picking!

There were so many wild black raspberries to pick, and this is only the beginning of the season.  It's probably the best crop I have seen since we moved back up to the Alleghenies.

I could only persuade the youngest two to help me today.

They were troopers though, and they braved the bugs, the barbed wire, and the prickles.

This was after half way through the berry patch.  We left a lot behind.

We saw these amazingly beautiful fungi growing on a stump.  Each was about the size of a softball.  I'm not sure what these are called.  I need to look them up in one of our field guides.

We were doing great and filling our containers until my six year old dropped hers and lost them all.

 

This is just one of our filled bowls.  We ended up with about three of these after 40 minutes.

Our plan is to turn them into one of these delicious raspberry pies that our 13 year old daughter routinely makes.  She has taken over as the official pie and cake baker of our house.

Black Raspberry Pie

1 cup sugar

1 quart fresh raspberries

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cup shortening or lard or coconut oil

6-7 tablespoons cold water

Combine sugar and raspberries in a bowl and let soak overnight.  For the crust: In a bowl, stir together flour and salt.  Cut in shortening or lard till pieces are about the size of small peas.  Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water over part of mixture and toss with fork.  Repeat with water until all is moistened.  Form dough into 2 balls.  Roll out 1 dough ball on a floured surface, forming a circle.  Fit into pie plate and trim at rim if necessary.  Roll out remaining dough the same way for the top crust.  Fill pie crust with the berry/sugar mixture.  Slice the top pie crust into strips and weave onto top of pie in basket weave fashion.  If you decide not to do this and choose to place the entire crust over the top, then pinch seams together and cut slits in top to allow steam to escape.  Cover edge of pie with foil to prevent burning and bake in 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Then remove the foil and bake another 25-30 minutes or until golden.  Cool.

Off to a Summer Dessert Social

This weekend, we were invited to celebrate the official beginning of summer at the small farm of another large family who is hosting a dessert social.  We love attending this family's seasonal outdoor parties because they have the most organized hobby farm, a ton of other children there to play with, adorable farm animals, and the best food served up and eaten under the roof of their immaculate barn.  I am always inspired to do more on our own little farm after leaving there.  The last event in the fall was a stone soup supper with one huge kettle of stone soup with real turtle meat included and another steaming kettle of hearty beef stew.  I have to admit that I chickened out and had the delicious beef/veggie stew.  My husband is more adventurous than I and thoroughly enjoyed the turtle soup though.

Petite Cherry Cheesecakes and Lemon Squares

Since this was a dessert night, I wanted to bring something sweet and summery that would be easy to eat with our fingers.  I opted for these petite cherry cheesecakes and lemon squares.  My 10 year old son begged me to let him help since he has decided he wants to learn how to cook and bake this summer.  He is my big eater, and he has learned through the years that the one who helps Mom in the kitchen is also the most likely to reap the rewards of licking beaters, scraping the bowl, and getting the chocolate chips or other sweet morsels that might spill out of the bag.  His little sister, who also wanted to help for the same reasons, was relegated by him to be the placer of the cupcake liners in the muffin tins before we started.  Therefore, she was out of the kitchen when it was beater licking time.

Petite Cherry Cheesecakes

2 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened          1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup sugar                                                      24 vanilla wafers

2 eggs                                                                 1 (24oz.) can cherry pie filling

1 tsp. lemon juice

Beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Line small muffin pans with paper baking cups and place a vanilla wafer in bottom of each cup.

Fill with cream cheese mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until set.

Top each with about 1 Tbsp. of pie filling.  Chill.  Makes 2 dozen.

Finished Petite Cherry Cheesecakes

I had the help of my 13 year old daughter when making the lemon bars while most everyone else was out swimming in the pool after helping their dad move mulch into the many flower beds.  She just couldn't seem to be able to keep her older brother from coming in and out when he sensed we had emptied the bowl into the cake pan so he could get the scrapings.  Honestly, when there is baking going on, I seem to have very interested and willing helpers.  I wish they were as eager to help wash the dishes and hang the laundry.

Lemon Squares

Box lemon cake mix

1 stick butter, softened

1 egg, beaten

Mix these 3 ingredients until crumbly/mushy and press into 9x13 cake pan.  I think it's the consistency of semi-dry playdough.

Top Layer:

2 eggs, beaten                                                       1 pound bag of powdered sugar

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened               1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all these ingredients until creamy, and pour over crust and bake 50 minutes - 1 hour at 325 degrees.  (I love my pink polka dotted spatula found in a bargain bin at Giant!)

After cooling, cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar.  I chill mine in the refrigerator.

Finished Lemon Squares

After changing into something a bit more casual, we are off.  I can't wait to sample the sweet treats that others will be bringing.  Happy Summer, Everyone!

Slow Summer Afternoons at a Preppy Mountain Farm

Our relaxed pace continues into our afternoons, at least for this week.  After lunch, we spend the next several hours enjoying the summer by...

climbing trees, such as this cherry tree that has seen better days...

snacking on homemade yogurt pops or freeze pops, depending on what we have in our freezer...

taking a dip in the pool (some of us dip less than others)...

practicing our instruments so we don't get too rusty over summer break...

taking catnaps on the front porch...

and in creative pursuits, such as trying new recipes,

building with Legos,

and in new nail designs.

We usually avoid doing much farm work or outdoor chores in the afternoons and do what most people did before air conditioning became available.  Our century old farmhouse still has no central cooling system; although, we do break out a window unit for the really hot and humid days.  Last summer was so mild in the Northeast that we only had it turned on a few times the entire season.  We have already had it on more than that this summer.  After the long winter we had, I am not complaining.