Recipes: homemade french dressing

Some time ago, I came across an old cookbook from the days when people used to cook from scratch.

Among the recipes in it, there was one for homemade french dressing. I especially like it because it is cheaper than buying store brands. Here’s what I turned it into:

1 can tomato soup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 1/2 tsp. celery seed

Combine all indgredients in a jar with lid, and shake well. Refrigerate to store.

Of course, you can modify any recipe to personal taste. As you can see, I like celery seed.

Thanksgiving: we are thankful for . . .

On this holiday, we have much to give thanks for:

• the promise of eternal life with our savior Jesus Christ. In the meantime, time marches on irregularly – arriving slowly and passing quickly for situations we eagerly anticipate, while coming around often and lasting long for those we would prefer to avoid.

• family and friends to love and be loved.

• health: despite the nicks, bruises, and prescriptions, most of us have a pretty good deal on the physical front.

• resources: similarly, our societal lifestyle is way beyond what we need. Walk up to a big-box store and the door opens for you – not only is this expected; we don’t even notice it anymore.

• Now. Yesterday has slipped away; tomorrow may not come. Right now, what we have is . . . right now.

Sports: Vikings, Packers, oops

We hosted an early Thanksgiving Sunday for family, which meant football on TV, which meant I ended up seeing part of a Vikings game for the second time this season.

Last time, my prediction was perfect (See here.)

This time, when the Vikings surprisingly scored to go ahead 23-7 late in the third quarter, I made my move and announced “24 to 23.”

Everybody knew what I meant. Worse yet, nobody dared disagree. Even the most loyal Vikings fan knows deep in his heart that no lead is ever safe.

As it turned out, I was only partially right this time. The Vikings did blow the lead, but only to the point of tieing the game, not losing, which was a victory in itself.

I was a victim of Green Bay’s strategy of trying to clear up the losing margin in two 8-point pieces instead of the traditional NFL route of simply kicking extra points. There was plenty of time for two touchdowns and a field goal, which proved to be the case and would have been successful had the Packers followed the proven format for coming from behind to defeat a Minnesota team.

It’s nice to see other teams make mistakes, too.

Restaurant review: Kaffe Stuga, Harris MN

Just a stone’s throw off the I-35 freeway to the east is the little town of Harris, just a little north of North Branch.

Kaffe Stuga (that’s “coffee house” in English) is your classic local cafe.

Went simple with a cod dinner and sirloin tip hoagie. The side salad was just a small bowl of lettuce with a cucumber slice, but for perhaps the first time in my life, I was given more salad dressing than I needed for the proportion of the salad. Usually, I end up trying to stretch the dressing as far as I can to cover the remaining lettuce.

The cod was perfectly cooked, and the accompanying fries was a generous portion. Best of all, two meals were barely over $15, before the tip.

You know what you’re getting from the chains, but the local places have their own charm and variety, even when you order the same food.

Consumer finance: shortages and conspiracies

Friends, it’s too early to tell, but we may have survived the Great Oil Filter Shortage of 2013.

People laugh at me because of how much I stock up on certain products. But what I buy is only things that I know won’t spoil and that I am going to use.

Oil filters are one such product. I keep a few of each type on hand so that when a vehicle needs an oil change, I can do it at my convenience without being forced into a special shopping trip just to get supplies.

It’s a fluke, but I happened to be at three different Walmart locations in just over a week recently. Each time, I went looking to replace what I need, but two of the model numbers of Fram oil filters were not there.

On the next visit, however, there was one filter #10060 which I snatched up quickly, plus two of the other number I needed. So did I get the last filter after that number was re-stocked, or the last one that hadn’t sold yet?

Is the shortage over, or are they be setting us up for something like the Great Vanilla Wafer Conspiracy of 2009?

(Aside: remember when Subway first started its famous “5 Dollar Footlong” promotion? Do you remember also that most of the sandwiches were $4.60 then? It was advertised as a bargain but really a big price increase.)

Back to wafers. There was a time I used to take a small serving of them as part of my lunch. Unlike Nabisco’s brand-name rip-off at $4-plus a box, Walmart’s Great Value brand of vanilla wafers was just $1.00 a box, and actually tasted better than the high-priced counterparts.

Then suddenly, the price shot up to $1.07, a percentage increase exceeded only by health insurance. Next, Walmart’s vanilla wafers completely disappeared from stores for a couple months, leaving only the brand-name choice (conspiracy!).

When they did come back in a redesigned package, they were $1.27, and the price kept climbing from there. Eventually, I found an alternative off-brand at the grocery store, but it’s not like the good old days of $1 apiece. Now, we’re in the area of $1.68 for a “cheap” box of good wafers.

The only thing worse: a bag of Doritos costs most per pound than a good steak.

Christmas shopping: part 3 of it goes on and on . . .

This time headed to the 494 strip. Same stores (Sam’s Club, Walmart, Kohl’s), just different locations.

At this Sam’s, the clerk selling cable/satellite wasn’t as pushy. He graciously accepted my answer that I don’t pay for tv.

Picked up some nice gift baskets for the neighbors (hope they’re not reading this). At Sam’s, the tab always runs up quickly because of the large packages. Ended up checking out twice because we couldn’t fit everything in cart, $200 and $150. Somehow it just doesn’t hurt as bad as dropping $350 all at once.

Quick stop at Kohl’s. The difference between men and women shopping: after a buying decision is made, men go pay for it and leave; women keep looking.

Most important lesson of the day: the south and east exterior sides of Kohl’s at Southtown are identical. If you don’t leave through the door you went in, it will be very difficult to find your car.

Running: fall season and deer hunting

My running season is about over for the year. Not due to motivation – weather and lack of daylight.

I love getting up early, have a cup of coffee, and be out there to start running the minute I can see well enough what I’m stepping on; then enjoying the sunrise as the day brightens.

In summer, it’s easy to get 6 miles, breakfast, and a shower all in and still make it to work on time easily. These days, it’s just dark, and getting worse.

So I’m reduced to running a few more times on weekends only. One of my a favorite places is a nearby trail, but it’s next to a good-sized woods. And that means deer hunting.

Last weekend, I got spooked at the thought of essentially running through the woods with hunters around. Didn’t want to be the next headline: “Runner shot by hunter.”

Instead, I opted for a wide open route where I could see and be seen. It still was eerie hearing shots being fired in the distance, but at least I knew they weren’t directed at me.

Recipes: tailgating treat

Had a flashback to a few years ago: during a college football game broadcast, they did a short feature on people tailgating and what they were cooking.

I can’t remember exactly what one guy was making but it went something like this: Spread cream cheese on a tortilla shell, then add cooked bulk sausage and mozarella cheese. Fold over and grill.

Tried this at home lately and it is very good. Of course, you can also modify it by adding onions, peppers, or anything you like.

You don’t have to be tailgating to enjoy it – works well in the kitchen also for a supper or brunch. Pretty simple and easy, and tastes great!

Christmas shopping: part 2 of how-many-times-will-take?

This time started at JC Penney in Ridgedale where we got three items, only one off a Christmas list. Make sure to watch the ads and take your coupons along – Penney’s is back to inflated prices with discounts since the fair-and-square realistic pricing fizzled out.

Then our annual Best Buy stop to knock two things off the lists. I’ve had excellent service experience at Best Buy, especially when we need info or have questions about something. But if you want to just browse and be left alone, don’t go to Best Buy – you’ll be like a deer wandering through a woods full of hunters.

Went over to our favorite second-hand place, Unique Thrift Store in New Hope, off Winnetka just north of Rockford Road. Got one more non-Christmas thing.

Then found the closest Batteries Plus to get a battery for a calculator that was almost as old as the clerk. Great service again – he quickly found not only the correct battery for me but was able to tell me I needed two of them. I was much, much happier when finally getting the microscopic screws out to open the calculator and find that yes, indeed, it took two batteries.

That was enough for the day so on the spur of the moment, we picked up a Papa Murphy’s bacon cheeseburger pizza and headed home. Does that happen to anyone else? The stretched out shopping, I mean – not the pizza.

Books: mountain climbing and K2

To the Summit (and beyond)

After traveling to Colorado last year and realizing I couldn’t bring the mountains home with me, I did the next best thing and dug into books about mountains.

The first couple I found were pretty much travel guides to Colorado. Then I came across Joseph Poindexter’s “To the Summit,” an overview of 50 of the world’s most notable mountains with all kinds of beautiful photos, significant history notes, and interesting facts or stories about each one.

That set me off on a mental expedition to K2 through several other books (plus a couple fictional movies as well). Instead of finding out more about the Rocky Mountains, I ended up geographically on the other side of the world in the Himalayas – in fact, Denver and K2 are at nearly opposite points on the earth.

I didn’t read the books in order because I didn’t find discover them in order, but here’s a list in the chronological sequence I would recommend (and someday will repeat).

Each (except Messner’s) is as well written as a best-selling novel, but tells the dramatic stories of climbing and/or "failing" on the world’s second-highest and most brutal mountain. For mountain climbers, it's considered failure not to reach the summit, even only by a few hundred yards. I suppose, like losing the Super Bowl on a last-second field goal, it's recorded as a loss, but discounts all the success it took to get that close.

I also found that reading these books makes Minnesota winters much more tolerable – after picturing climbers stuck in a tent at 20,000 feet for several days to wait out a blizzard, it doesn’t seem so bad to walk from the office to a cold vehicle at 10-below.

• “The Last Man on the Mountain: the Death of an American Adventurer on K2” (Jennifer Jordan) – the 1939 American expedition led by Fritz Wiessner in which climber Dudley Wolfe died on the mountain; his remains were found by the author of this book 63 years later.

• “K2: The Savage Mountain” (Charles Houston and Bob Bates) – 1953 American expedition. Includes a harrowing incident in which while attempting to descend because of an ill and injured member of the party, six others slipped and fell but were saved by a heroic measure by one of the climbers.

• “In the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods” (Galen Rowell) – the 1975 American expedition which didn’t come close to the summit. It’s still an insightful look into sport of climbing along with intriguing history of K2.

• “The Last Step: the American Ascent of K2” (Rick Ridgeway) – the 1978 American ascent, which was the first successful American expedition getting 4 climbers to the summit.

• “Addicted to Danger” (Jim Wickwire) – This book is about Wick’s career; he was one of the Americans who summitted in ‘79 and made it back, barely.

• “K2: Mountain of Mountains” (Reinhold Messner)  Messner climbed K2 without oxygen. Maybe it’s a language barrier, but this one is tough to read.

Restaurant review: Smashburger, Plymouth MN

I was introduced to Smashburger on a trip to Colorado, and then was pleased to learn there are several locations here in the Twin Cities area.

Smashburger is like it sounds – fresh ground beef smashed on the grill, to the point that it extends beyond the bun on all sides. The menu includes several burger options, including one locally named. Here, it’s the Twin Cities burger. In Denver, it’s . . . take a guess.

The other great thing about Smashburger: make sure to order Smashfries, not regular fries. These are seasoned with rosemary, olive oil, and garlic.

Both the burgers and the fries tend to get a bit on the juicy/greasy side – enough that you’ll need to wash up afterward – but the flavors are still more than worth it.

There are also chicken sandwiches, which I haven’t tried yet, and probably won’t since I like the burgers too much.

Smashburger is a hybrid fast food – you order at the counter and get number; food is delivered to your table in a few minutes.

Christmas shopping: part 1 of ?

Headed out on our first Christmas shopping effort of the season, which devolved into regular shopping. Actually, one store was playing “Sleigh Bells” so technically it was Christmas shopping.

For variety, we headed a different direction from our usual pattern, starting with lunch at Smashburger in Plymouth and then to Maple Grove and beyond. We went to the same stores as usual – Sam’s Club, Walmart, Kohls – but in a new location. This proved both interesting and confusing, as the store layouts were just different enough to make things hard to find.

My running has been curtailed by a sore hamstring and lack of daylight. Shopping was an opportunity for indoor hiking (more like aimless wandering).

At Sam’s, the game was avoiding the pushy salesperson who wanted to lower my cable bill. I did a long detour to avoid having a Third Encounter of the Close Kind.

Up I-94, we did a quick in-an-out at Cabela’s in Rogers for a special item the didn’t have. “Try online,” the clerk said. “There’s a lot more online than we can handle here.” I guess they need a bigger store.

Then it was on to the Albertville Outlet Mall, where we scored a couple nice shirts off the clearance rack at Old Navy. We continued to rack up reward points by presenting a plastic card to merchants down the line.

Best tip of the day: if you’re specifically looking for the Nike store at Albertville, it’s at the far west end of the complex, a good half-mile from entering the parking lot.

Restaurant review: K-Bob Cafe, Princeton, MN

Barely sat down on a busy Saturday lunch rush and waitress was over with water and to take beverage orders. K-Bob Cafe in downtown Princeton has earned its spot as a popular local gathering place.

Had the Southwest Melt – a chicken breast with peppers and tasty southwest sauce – and a Breakfast Melt, a common sausage-egg-cheese combo but served on large deliciously grilled bread instead of a bun.

When out leisurely instead of having to get somewhere, we specifically like to frequent the local establishments instead of brand names.

Even though it sounds more like a radio station than a restaurant, K-Bob is worth a stop if you’re in the area – on the main drag, Rum River Drive, in Princeton.