Rabbit Hunting

Good evening, ya'll. Come on in the house where it is warm and have a cup of coffee on this cool and getting colder evening. If it drops as low as they say it is we may have to build a "far" in the "farplace." (Fire in the firelplace) I had some friends several years back who always said "far" and "arn" for fire and iron. Took me awhile to understand what the heck they were talking about. Then they said they needed to "warsh" their hands and ride the "harse". I used to crack up when they left. They probably thought I talked "funny" also with my Southern Alabama, down on the Alabama river, accent. I have been told it was rather hard to understand sometimes.

Well folks, I am tired. I went bunny hunting this morning and found full-grown rabbits. Now I am sure you are wondering why I was hunting bunnies but I was cleaning and vacuuming under my bed and looking for "dust bunnies." It has been a while, a long while, since I did this chore so I thought it was past time.

I got out the vacuum cleaner, the broom and the broom with the big, fuzzy brush on the end and began to clean our bedroom. When I got to the bed, I ran the vacuum cleaner hose with the sweeper under the bed and it got stopped up. Pulling the hose out from under the bed I discovered a Kleenex, and another Kleenex and a glob of dust. I cleaned all that out stuck it under there again and found 2 books, 2 storage boxes, a gilt picture frame, a mirror and 1 shoe. Then I began to find the "rabbits." Those "bunnies had grown and multiplied into full-grown jack rabbits and were stopping up my vacuum hose like crazy. I started to get my gun and shoot under there and kill them but just let the cleaner's hose do the killing by sucking them up in that big, dark bag.

By the way, you know that Kleenex is used for any facial tissue we use here in the South but I am pretty sure mine are a store brand for I don't see any sense in paying more money for a name or pretty box. After all, you are going to use it blow your nose, for Pete's sake.

Needless to say, it took awhile for me to get all those bunnies and rabbits out from under our bed but it is now clean and dust bunny free. I was glad to find the storage boxes for I need to pack up some "stuff" but I had given up on the matching shoe and thrown it away so now I have a lone shoe with no mate. Guess I will have to toss that one also. The other stuff I will send to the shop and figure out what to do with it later.

I was going to dust the bunnies off the furniture when I completed cleaning the floor but that hunting trip flat wore me out and my back was killing me. At my age it is a little difficult to lie flat on the floor, sweep, and vacuum under a bed. It was easy to get down there but the getting up took awhile. The hurting back meant I had to lie down and read for a bit until the pain went away. Getting old is painful sometimes but I now have a clean floor under our bed and all the "bunnies" are dead.

We had a real good "lupper" today. After I got over cleaning, I cooked and since we have retired we only have 2 meals a day - breakfast and lupper. Lupper is lunch and supper combined since we eat it about 2 in the afternoon or sometimes later. Three meals a day is just too much for old folks so I invented "lupper" and it seems to fit the bill.

I thought you might like the 2 recipes I concocted today for they are easy and one uses leftover chicken. If you like them, give me a holler and let me know.

CHICKEN RICE PILAF

1 6.09 oz. rice pilaf mix
1 3/4 cups chicken stock - I use the one in the box already prepared
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cups coarsely grated carrots
2-3 cups of chopped baked or rotisserie chicken - chopped into fairly big pieces
Black pepper to taste

Bring the stock, garlic powder, and onion powder to a boil in a large sauce pan. Add the rice pilaf and seasoning packet, stir, bring to a boil uncovered. Reduce the heat to simmer, replace lid and cook for 15 min. Add the chicken and carrots and cook the remaining 5 minutes. If it is too dry you can add additional stock and sprinkle with black pepper to suit your taste. Fluff with a fork before serving and it will serve 4.
I used leftover chicken that I had baked in the crock pot but a rotisserie chicken would do well also.

STRAWBERRY PEACH FRUIT COMPOTE

2 cups frozen peaches
2 cups frozen strawberries
1 small gala or Fuji apple coarsely chopped
1/2 cup craisins - dried cranberries
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbsp. chopped crystallized ginger
1 orange

Combine the peaches and strawberries in large saucepan. Bring to a simmer and add the cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Add the zest of 1 orange and the juice from the orange and simmer for 10 minutes. After about 10 minutes add the chopped apples and the craisins and simmer for about 5 minutes. You want the apple to still have some crunch for texture. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to about 10 days. I used peaches and strawberries I had frozen and there is no sugar in this. If you like for it to be sweeter, add Splenda to taste in the last five minutes.

Serving suggestions:

Place an oatmeal cookie or cookie of choice in bottom of a small dessert dish. Spoon the warm fruit over the cookie, top with whipped cream or topping and sprinkle with cookie crumbs.

Serve the warm fruit over vanilla, strawberry or peach ice cream.

I use the cold fruit mixture on toast, pancakes and waffles.

I hope you enjoy these recipes and if you do, let me know. Just click on the comment box at the end of this posting and drop me a line or two.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach
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