Hello on Friday Morning

Dear Friends,



We had another pleasant day of taking care of our grandchild. He smiled from the time he woke up until the time he went to bed time. It is hard to believe that Max has been with us since 6 PM on Monday evening. This baby is so good that you would love to have a house full of them.



Linda and I have been discussing what to do with Max since Kyla will be returning from her conference this evening. As I went to bed, while Linda was watching the Olympics, I think we decided to keep Max another day. We were thinking that one of his parents could come to the Berkshires to pick him up on Saturday morning.



We have some strong winds blowing as I type this e-mail along with a mixture of rain and snow which is predicted to fall for today. We are also in a Winter Storm Warning for this evening with 2 to 4 inches of snow predicted to fall about the same time as the start of the Wolftones Concert (8 PM).

If we do keep Max for another day, I will represent the family at the Wolftones Concert unless the roads are treacherous.



Politics – The Health Care Summit wasn’t too productive on Thursday. The Republicans and some of the American public want the President’s proposal just slowly fall by the wayside. The Clintons gave up their fight quicker that this President.

I see where Sarah Palin will be the headline speaker for an NRA (National Rifle Association). This group could be called the National Republican Association. This group convinces their loyal followers that the Democrats want to take away their guns. If you want to belong to most of the local Sportsmen’s Clubs in our area, you must belong to the NRA. I belonged to the NRA for a year or so before I decided that I can’t accept their beliefs. The NRA also tries to mix God, and the Bible with their Guns.

Can Sarah Palin be the new Charleton Heston?



Our beautiful snow fall from the other day has shrunk so much due to the all day rain of yesterday. Most of my driveway is right down to the blacktop. We wanted this second storm to be all snow. How many storms go from East to West instead of the other way around? This definitely has been the wackiest winter for most of the Country. Some friends, who winter at Hilton Head, said that it has been so far from the normal temperatures that they too are wearing jackets.



I fired up the Electronic Pressure Cooker for the first time (since we got it as a gift for Christmas) yesterday. It worked as predicted. I cooked a pot roast dinner in the machine instead of doing so in the crock pot. For those people who can’t wait 8 to 10 hours for a meal to be cooked, then this is the device for you. The 3.5 pound pot roast came out just as tender as when I use the crock pot, but it took so much less time.

I do like the searing feature on the machine. Most recipes would like to you sear the meat or poultry product before you cook it in a crock pot, Pressure Cooker, or in a pot in the oven. When you don’t have to dirty another pan to do so, that is an advantage.

The cook book that we purchased, and the cook book which came with our pressure cooker were in conflict with on another. I had to cook my pot roast for 99 minutes, but the recipe in the cook book which we purchased said to cook the meat 45 minutes. You must follow the time lines for the Pressure cooker that you own. All the other times for cooking meats and vegetables in are the same in both cook books. I even called a Cusinart Hotline and asked if the 99 minutes was correct for Pot Roast. The pleasant representative said “Yes!”

What about the vegetables? I had to shut the machine off at the end of 99 minutes, and put in the vegetables (right on top of the meat). I had to restart the machine and set the timer for 8 minutes which is the cooking time for most vegetables unless you want them a bit more firm. After I took out the vegetables, and the meat, Linda used the remaining liquid in the pot and she made it into a tasty gravy. You use the simmer cycle for the gravy making.



We have a friend who still uses her pressure cooker which is just like the ones our parents used, and like the ones which Linda and I eventually got rid of. Her husband bought her one of these electronic machines, and she returned it thinking that it was too complicated. Maybe the next time that she and her husband visit us, I will cook the whole meal in our pressure cooker. What really is so different is that you don’t her the tick, tick which come from the old pressure cookers. You don’t have to turn the heat up or down when the pressure is attained like you do with the antique pressure cookers. This is all done electronically. All you do is set either high or low pressure, set the time, and hit the start button. The machine beeps when the cooking is done. Releasing the pressure is so much safer on these machines compared to the old ones.

The question is would I use it again? I am already thinking about doing some country style ribs, or some baby back ribs. I was thinking about how long it took to do the Chicken Cacciatore in the Crock Pot. I could have it done is less than an hour for the same results. There are also some excellent rice recipes as well as many soups which I could cook using this pressure cooker.



Well, I have to get the newspaper from the driveway, and grab another cup of coffee before Max wakes up. I am hoping that the wind doesn’t wake him up too early!

Have a great weekend!

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad