RANDOM PHOTO

I am linking with 
Grantham Lynn's Fabulous Fall Party



Please click on the link name above to see other participants.

A FEW TREASURES FROM HUNTLEY MEADOWS

I am joining the following memes as they become available.  Thank you Jesh, Tom and N.C. Sue for hosting.

Jutta at The Natur Thu # 22Jesh at Seasons

Tom at Tuesday's Treasures

N.C. Sue at Wordless (on Tuesday) at image-in-ing

MONDAY RECIPE POST - BEST EVER MEATLOAF

If you click on this link, you can see where I got my recipe.  Scroll up and click on the 'home' button to see more.  There are a lot of great ones on here.  The blog is called Pip and Ebby, and its host is Megan.  

Megan's Meatloaf Recipe  -  6 to 8 servings
Total time: 2 hours

For the meatloaf:

2 pounds ground beef
1 cup crushed Ritz Crackers
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

For the topping:

3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

Instructions for the Meatloaf:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Spray a 5 x 9 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, crackers, egg, milk, 1/2 cup ketchup, onion, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Mix together with your hands until thoroughly combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly.  

Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to prevent any spills, and bake in the preheated oven for 1-1/2 hours.  

Instructions for the topping:

In a small bowl combine 3/4 cup ketchup, brown sugar, apricot preserves and Worcestershire Sauce.

Mix well.

Spread half of the mixture evenly over the meatloaf half-way through baking.  Reserve the remainder of the sauce for dipping.

After taking the meatloaf out of the oven, sit for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

What did I think of this recipe?

I enjoyed it very much.  There are leftovers.  The first night I added a salad of spring greens, sliced green onions, a few slices of mushroom, diced sweet red pepper and a tablespoon of sliced almonds.  I usually prefer my salad without any dressing, but if I added something it would be a teaspoon of olive oil and a dash or two of balsamic vinegar.  The extra sauce described in the recipe I had put aside for dipping, and it was a very tasty addition.

The next day I had a late breakfast/early lunch and added a sauteed tomato and mushrooms.  I also popped a poached egg on top of the heated meatloaf, because in my book eggs go with everything and to me it made it extra yummy.  The other slices I have put in the freezer for another day.

I have developed a recent allergy to milk, and used soy milk instead of dairy.  I found some information here, as I was curious if I could use it in recipes such as this one.  In part it said, 

"In terms of substitution, soy milk can be used cup for cup in the same ratio as dairy milk.  And, it can be used in baking and cooking just like dairy milk.  While the flavor will not be exactly the same, it will be close and you should have a similar final product in terms of texture and consistency."  

You can read more information at the site.  All that being said, this by far the best meatloaf recipe I have made in quite a while. 

Thank you Megan for this wonderful recipe.

HUNTLEY MEADOWS - Tuesday, August 23rd, 2016

Huntley Meadows is another place we enjoy.  My Sister-in-law was visiting and we took her there.  I think she brought us great luck, as we saw more bird life than we have ever seen at one time, particularly Great Blue Herons.  There were several in the area, and I spotted this one in a tree across the marsh.  As there was a very pretty blue sky for a backdrop, I chose my photos for SkyWatch Friday.

Five more photos so that I can join in with Willy-Nilly Friday Five.

1) A Blue Dasher Dragonfly.  He was very cooperative waiting for me to line up a shot.

2)  Hubby and his sister enjoying the Egret in the distance.

3) Little nature lover.  Start them early.  She was with her grandmother.  We enjoyed the little girl's fascination with the young Great Blue Heron.  This is Gregg's photo.

4) I was very curious what this is.  It starts to grow over the marshy plants at this time of the year and I have learned that it is a parasitic plant called Dodder. You can read about it here.  It would be worth scrolling down as there are other very interesting parasitic plants mentioned, all very interesting, and this is the eighth one down. 

5) A change from the above, a tea light in a pretty blue glass container after stopping at a restaurant on the way home.  If one used one's imagination a little, one could almost see that this was a setting sun symbolic of the lovely day we had, that was almost at an end but not quite over.  

I am linking with the following, with many thanks to our hosts.  In order as they become available.  

The Team at SkyWatch Friday

Tanya at Willy-Nilly-Friday Five

Eileen at Saturday's Critters

Misty at Camera Critters

Anni at Bird D'Pot

Stuart at Wild Bird Wednesday

GOOD FENCES

These two photos show sculptures outside the American Indian Museum.  They were done by Nora Naranjo-Morse, the first American Indian lady to do an outdoor statue in Washington DC.  You can read more about her here.  
They had short fences around them but I thought I could include them in my Good Fences post this week.  We didn't go into the museum this time, as we were on our way to the National Art Gallery.

Thank you for hosting Theresa!

If you click on the link below you can visit other participants.

Good Fences

A FEW TREASURES FOUND AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART IN WASHINGTON DC - PART 2

We always have a marvelous time at The National Gallery of Art.  It's not that far away from home, only about 25 miles if you make like a crow.  I have a tendency to want to head for the mountains, and Gregg is really great about that and he does love that too.  However, I knew he had been eager to see the city again, and though he has to persuade me more than usual, once I am there, I love it!  That goes for the museums too. Of course he always tells me that I will, and he is always right.  There is always so much to see in Washington DC.  

There are still areas we did not get to see, and you can bet that we will be going back sometime.  But I am sharing what I did see that day.

Explanation of the painting above and below.  I only took photos of these two.  I will have to go back for the others.  I cropped the above painting to show the flowers.  

Miss Juliana Willoughby

oil on canvas 1781-1783

George Romney

British, 1734-1802

Andrew W. Mellon Collection 1937.1.104

The Skater - (Portrait of William Grant)

oil on canvas 1782

Gilbert Stuart

American, 1755-1828

(Worked in Britain, 1775-1793)

Andrew W. Mellon Collection 1950.18.1

Mrs. Davis Davenport

oil on canvas 1782-1784

George Romney

British, 1734-1802

Andrew W. Mellon Collection 1937.1.105

Miss Catherine Tatton

oil on canvas, 1786

Thomas Gainsborough

British, 1727-1788

Andrew W. Mellon Collection 1937.1.99

A Painter's Studio

oil on canvas, c. 1800

Louis-Leopold Boilly

French, 1761-1845

Chester Dale Collection 1943.7.1

There are more paintings that I would like to share, but I will hold off for a while.  I hope you enjoy these.

A FEW TREASURES FOUND AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART IN WASHINGTON DC - PART 1

I am joining the following memes as they become available.  Thank you Jesh, Tom and N.C. Sue for hosting.

Jesh at Seasons
Tom at Tuesday's Treasures
N.C. Sue at Wordless (on Tuesday) at image-in-ing

MONDAY RECIPE POST - PALEO OVEN-BAKED RIBS WITH CREAMY BLT PASTA SALAD

Two recipes today.  I made them back on the 4th of July when a dear friend visited for the weekend. Gregg was away and she came over to keep me company.  We had a super time talking non-stop and had fun watching the 4th of July Celebration on the Capitol grounds in Washington D.C.  We were both happy for those crowds who stuck it out with the weather being so iffy, but equally happy to be watching in comfort at home. The rain finally stopped and people certainly deserved the great show they had.  Over the weekend my friend and I watched several British cops and robbers shows on Netflix.  Before we knew it the weekend was over and it was time for her to go home.

Paleo Oven Baked Ribs by Jessica DeMay.  You can see her recipe here.

1 tablespoon coconut sugar (I used 1 tablespoon of brown sugar)

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika (I used what I already had.  It wasn't smoked)

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1-1/2 teaspoon Real Salt (I used regular Kosha Salt, again what I had in stock)

1 rack of baby back ribs

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. and line a sheet try with parchment paper (I used a non-stick foil).

In a small bowl combine sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper and salt. Mix well.

Dry the ribs off and peel membrane off the back if necessary.  Rub down with the dry rub mixture on both sides, rubbing it in thoroughly.  In Jessica's recipe she said you could prepare it the day before but the flavor was still there even if there wasn't any marinating time.  That's true as I didn't do this and it was very flavorful.

Place in your baking pan for 3 hours.

You can grill on the barbecue to give it a charred look, but again I didn't do this and it looked fine to me.  However, if you want the charred look you can do this in the oven on broil for three minutes on each side.

Creamy BLT (Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato) Pasta Salad by Margaret Anne

You can find the original recipe here. 

1 (1 lb.) box bowtie noodles, cooked to package directions

1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half 

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 head romaine lettuce, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon spicy mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

When you have drained the cooked noodles, rinse under cool water and drain again well.

In a large bowl combine pasta, bacon, lettuce and tomatoes.  Stir.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, vinegar, mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth.

Pour dressing over salad and toss until evenly coated.  

Serve and enjoy!

Margaret suggests that if you are making this ahead of time, add the crumbled bacon just before serving so that it will stay crispy.  

WILLY-NILLY FRIDAY FIVE

Driving through the relatively new part of the Portsmouth Tunnel

1) We have just returned from a trip down south and got to visit with a lot of the family.   I forget how hot and humid it can get down there.  One afternoon it rained heavily and when we got out of the car, steam rose off the ground.  It felt like a steam bath.

2) We ate out every day so my five this week is a lot about the places we ate.  One day we were invited to dinner by our niece and nephew.  A big thank you for that because they have a brand new addition in their family, and I know how tired and busy they are.  There is a sweet baby who was born last month.  Her little sister is doing a super job of helping mummy and daddy take care of her.  We had a very special evening.  We have three relatively new members in the family, a five year old, a one year old and a month old.  It was lovely seeing all three of them during our stay.  Sweet as can be and it just gave you a good feeling being around them.

3) Another day we went off with other family members to a restaurant we have been going to for years.  I always enjoy it.  Usually we sit by the window and look out over the water, but it is the busy time of the year with tourists, and even though we were further inside, we still get the view.  It was also the lunch hour, and yes it was too hot to sit outside.  There were plenty of tables available out there but not many people were making use of them.

4) A little while ago Gregg found a food truck that sold Lobster Rolls.  Oh my goodness, they were delicious.  They also sell a whole lot of other things, including fish and chips.  This place is very popular but fortunately we arrived at a quieter  time.

5) On the way back home we decided to drive via the Northern Shore and had lunch at The Shanty in Cape Charles.  We actually had fish and chips this time.  It's a restaurant that I look forward to returning.  The lady who took care of us was great.  She had a wonderful sense of humor and we found ourselves chuckling several times.  She noticed I jokingly held my Margarita back when Gregg asked for a sip and I said to her, I guess you saw that and she said oh yes I did and she laughed.  She was a real breath of fresh air.  And yes Gregg got his sip.  He was driving, he couldn't have but a sip and agreed it was excellent.  I only have Margarita's on my birthday or when on holiday, and from now on when I am at The Shanty, because it was the best one I had tasted in a long time, and the fish and chips were delicious.

Yes, we will most definitely be going back to The Shanty the next time we are in the area.

Now we're back home and being good!

I am slowly trying to catch up with the memes and this morning I am linking with Tanya at Willy-Nilly Friday Five.  You can click on the link below to visit other participants.


Willy-Nilly Friday Five