My hero.

This is THE reason I eat (semi) right, exercise hard and work like a maniac…so I can live like this man (who I personally know and just adore) when I get to be an old lady…

“People said I was crazy, I was too old,” said the 79-year-old as he put the finishing touches on his wooden boat. “I don’t like to lose.”

Almost every day for the past 18 months, Dorr has been on the docks at Beacon Marine Basin, building his own motorboat, all 24 feet long and 8 feet wide of it. His hands are weathered, his heart is full, and he is ready to launch the boat Saturday.

“I built every [expletive] bit of it,” he said. “Some days, I wish to Christ I never started.”

“It’s more than what I bargained for,” he added. “I’m happy I built it, but I would never do it again.”

The boat is named Dog Star, another name for Sirius, the brightest star and a useful navigation tool. There is a 150-horsepower engine and the bow has a Ram’s head from an old Dodge truck that died 15 years ago.

Dorr started with blueprints from a boat designer in Maine, but he grew frustrated with the design and stopped using the plans after two months.

“I like things rugged,” he said, banging on the boat to demonstrate its strength.

He could have been explaining himself.

“There’s no toilet,” he said. “Just a 5-gallon bucket.”

Dorr wears ratty jeans, work boots, and a green flannel shirt, a pack of Marlboro mediums in his front pocket. He has a stern handshake, crusty hands, and curses like, well, a sailor.

Yep…he’s one of those men who thinks nothing of scratching his privates in full view of the world around him. He swears like I do, drinks beer, laughs at himself and appreciates life. He doesn’t need fancy fittings around him to feel complete or to enjoy life. The 5 gallon shit bucket is just as efficient and probably more so than any flushing toilet…esp on the high seas!

The perception of “Old age” is a chosen lifestyle- to him and to people like me. I know too many people his age who get excited about going out once a month to play…golf. Or who moap about dwelling upon their every ill and ache.

Screw that shit.

The Double-A is my hero because he has shown me that one can do anything they want- his life long dream is about to become his reality and if he can do it, ANYONE can. How cool is that, to live on a boat and traverse the eastern coast, at age 80?? I will be doing similar things when I hit that number.
Guaranteed.

Yeah…I grilled some higher class type food yesterday. Grilled chix, pineapple and asparagus. As always I grilled WAY too much but thats ok.

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I don’t do fast food very often. I guess, when I’m pretty short on time is when I’d be seen at these places. As I drove into my town this evening, from work (Job a) I spotted the Wendy’s and decided to get me a burger, some fries and a soda.

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Swedish Meatballs:

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 egg
2 to 3 ounces cream and water (or milk and water)
2.5 tbsp. finely-chopped onion
4 TBS flour
2 cold boiled potatoes
4-5 tbsp butter, margarine or oil
Salt and pepper

1. Heat the onion till golden in a couple of tablespoons of lightly browned butter.
2. Mash the potatoes and moisten the flour in a little water.
3. Mix all the ingredients until there is consistency and flavor with salt, pepper and (optional) a little finely crushed allspice.
4. Use a pair of spoons to shape the mixture into relatively large, round balls and transfer to a floured chopping board.
5. Fry them slowly in plenty of butter.

How to make the cream sauce:

Ingredients:
1 ounce cream
I cup beef stock
Chinese soy sauce
1 tbsp white flour
Salt, white pepper

1. Stir the boiling water or beef stock in a pan.
2. Add cream and thicken with white flour if preferred.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the soy sauce to taste as well, starting with 1 teaspoon…
4. Serve the meatballs with the sauce, over hot noodles; sprinkle fresh ground pepper on top!

At Christmas one of the presents I got was a new crock pot. I’ve been pretty busy and haven’t had too much time to play with it. I already own 5 pots: Four of the older models and a industrial size 8 quart behemoth. I really didn’t NEED a new one….but a good friend thought differently.

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1½ cup Whipping cream
5½ cup Half and half
½ pounds Chihuahua cheese, shredded
½ pounds Manchego cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon Celery seeds
¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
3 large Egg yolks
1 pounds Elbow macaroni, cooked
½ cup Grated Cotija
½ cup Bread crumbs
Chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine cream, half and half, Chihuahua and Manchego cheese in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until cheese melts. Remove from heat. Add celery seeds and cayenne pepper. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Beat yolks in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in sauce. Add macaroni and stir to blend.

I prefer to bake my casseroles in my cast iron pans…I used my #8 Griswold for this recipe…most people use baking dishes or casserole pans though.

Butter 4 quart baking dish. Pour macaroni and sauce into dish. Mix Cojita cheese and bread crumbs in small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over macaroni. Bake until sauce is bubbling and top is beginning to brown, about 25 minutes.

This recipe is not at all healthy. It’s fattening as hell. It’s high in calories, saturated fats and sodium. But it’s very good and hearty and filling- great for cold winter days. Comfort food at it’s best. Food like this has helped Marion gain back much of the weight she had lost…Oh, and this dish tastes wonderful!!

What to do with leftover chicken? Or turkey?

THIS:

Chicken and Stuffing Bake

Pre Heat oven to 350 degrees

2 cups cooked, cubed chicken (or turkey)
1 Box Stove Top Chicken flavored stuffing, prepared according to directions
1 can Cream of Chix soup
1 package of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

In a large bowl, mix cubed chicken, stuffing and soup; shape into a loaf.
Spread out crescent roll dough, with pointed ends laying outward (on a baking sheet)
Place chicken/stuffing loaf onto dough and wrap the ends up over loaf.

Place in oven and bake for 35 minutes. Very easy to make and very YUMMAY.

mmMMmm….slow cooked today at work, over a grille. The weathur’s been rough and wild so this was just what the doctor ordered. YUMS!

Swiss Steak

3 pounds Round steak
1/2 cup Flour
4 tablespoon Oil
8 Carrots; cut into 1″ pieces
3 Onions- cut into rounds
2 cans Green beans, drained, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 can Condensed onion soup
2 cans Stewed tomatoes- or 2 cups homemade
1 cup Water

Season the steak with salt, pepper and dust with flour. In a skillet, brown the meat in oil until browned on both sides. Place the vegetables in the bottom of the crockpot and cover with the meat. Mix the soup and water and pour over the meat. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. This is great served with piping hot mashed potatoes. Yums!

Italian Sausage and Peppers
2 pounds Italian Sausage
4 large onions
3 medium green bell peppers
3 medium red peppers
1 pounds Fresh mushrooms (optional)
1½ teaspoon Garlic powder, or 2 cloves fresh crushed garlic
1 teaspoon Coarse ground black pepper (best fresh ground from mill)
½ teaspoon Oregano
½ teaspoon Basil
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
1 can of beer.

1. Grille sausages; cut into round slices.
2. Chop onions into half ring sizes; and cut bell peppers into strips not wider than 1/2″.
3. Mushrooms may be sliced or left whole.

4. Layer onions, pepper strips, and sausage into the crockpot, sprinkling spices at each layer. Add contents of beer to pot, cover, and set to low heat for 7-8 hours. These quantities are designed to fill a standard 5-quart crockpot, and will serve 4-6 people.
Double this recipe if you’re using an eight quart pot…This goes very well with fresh garlic bread.