Saturday, June 27, 2009
Live Blog - Doc Hammill's Driving Workshop at TNG
Hey , this is so neat there is a "live blog" going on at The Natural Gait. Doc Hammill is at The Natural Gait doing a horse driving clinic/workshop. Check it out here http://dochammill.blogspot.com .
Monday, June 08, 2009
Omelets Anyone?
We ran across this article on a fun way to make omelets. I have actually done this before with my grandkids when we camp. All ages enjoy this treat. The Natural Gait
By Angela Carson (Bookerc1)June 08, 2009
This summer, my husband's Aunt Marlene and Uncle Jim introduced us to an entirely new way of making omelets! It is perfect for a camp-out or a quick meal at home, and best of all, each person gets to customize their own omelet to include all their favorite fillings. This is a great way to use some of that summer garden bounty!
Each summer, our family vacations at a little cottage at Lake Okoboji in northwestern Iowa. The fun part is that we never know what other family members will be there at the same time! Staying at the cottage is a step back in time: no television, no computers, and no alarm clocks allowed on the shared outdoor sleeping porch. This year, we shared the cottage with my husband's aunt and uncle, so we took turns planning meals together. One night, they taught us this simple and fun method of making omelets, which they learned while camping. They told us that they watched, intrigued, as several families gathered for a meal at a nearby campsite. Each family brought a few omelet ingredients to contribute. As our own omelet-making adventure was not planned in advance, we just used whatever we had in the refrigerator at the cottage!
First, assemble all your favorite omelet fillings. Summer is the perfect time for omelets, as the garden offers an ever-changing selection of fresh fillings! You can include anything you like, but here is a brief list of some of our favorites:
Potential Ingredients
1 to 3 eggs for each person
1 to 2 tablespoons milk per person
spinach
onion, chopped (either raw or sautéed in butter; I enjoy yellow, red, or green onions in mine!)
garlic
sausage (browned)
ham
bacon (cooked)
mushrooms (I love button mushrooms sautéed with butter and garlic)
broccoli (steamed or microwaved until crisp-tender)
cauliflower (steamed or microwaved until crisp-tender)
chopped tomatoes
salsa
shredded cheese
peppers, either sweet or hot, diced
fresh herbs: thyme, basil, or chives are great
any leftover cooked meat or vegetable in the fridge! Be creative!
Equipment Needed:
Large pot of boiling water, plus heat source
4 to 6 wooden clothespins (one for each bag)
Heavy plastic zipper-type freezer bags, one per person
Bowls or plates to hold ingredients
Here are the basic instructions:
Put a tall pot of water on the stove (or campfire) and bring it to a boil.
Label a heavy zippered freezer bag for each person in your group, somewhere near the top. We used a permanent marker for this. Fold the top of the freezer bag down, forming a cuff on the outside.
Crack 2-3 eggs into your bag, depending on how big an omelet you want. If your kids are rookie egg crackers, you might prefer to let them crack each one into a bowl first, so you can pick out the shell pieces. (Alternately, for easy packing for a camping trip, combine your eggs and milk at home, and pour however much each person wants into their bag. You may also substitute cholesterol-free egg substitute, or reduce the number of egg yolks, for a low-fat alternative.)
Add about 1 tablespoon of milk for every 2 eggs, slightly more for 3 eggs. We just kind of "sloshed" some in from the jug, but you can measure if you are a perfectionist!
Add as much or as little of each filling ingredient as you wish! We set each filling out in a bowl, and just went down the line buffet-style.
Squeeze out as much excess air as possible, and zip the bag shut.
Use wooden clothespins to clip several bags around the inside perimeter of the pan. You can fit 4-6 bags at one time inside most big pots. Make sure that there is enough water to keep the omelet mostly submerged. If you have too much air in your bag, it will float above the surface!
Boil them for 7 to 9 minutes, until the omelet looks firmly set. A three-egg omelet, or one with lots of cheese and fillings, will take longer to cook through than a small omelet, or one with few fillings.
Carefully remove the bags from the boiling water. Unzip the bag, and let the omelet slide gently out onto your plate.
Salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!
At the end of the week, as we wrote in the cottage journal about our vacation, our boys both mentioned making Omelets-in-a-Bag as a big highlight of their trip! And there weren't even any messy egg-encrusted pans to deal with later!
By Angela Carson (Bookerc1)June 08, 2009
This summer, my husband's Aunt Marlene and Uncle Jim introduced us to an entirely new way of making omelets! It is perfect for a camp-out or a quick meal at home, and best of all, each person gets to customize their own omelet to include all their favorite fillings. This is a great way to use some of that summer garden bounty!
Each summer, our family vacations at a little cottage at Lake Okoboji in northwestern Iowa. The fun part is that we never know what other family members will be there at the same time! Staying at the cottage is a step back in time: no television, no computers, and no alarm clocks allowed on the shared outdoor sleeping porch. This year, we shared the cottage with my husband's aunt and uncle, so we took turns planning meals together. One night, they taught us this simple and fun method of making omelets, which they learned while camping. They told us that they watched, intrigued, as several families gathered for a meal at a nearby campsite. Each family brought a few omelet ingredients to contribute. As our own omelet-making adventure was not planned in advance, we just used whatever we had in the refrigerator at the cottage!
First, assemble all your favorite omelet fillings. Summer is the perfect time for omelets, as the garden offers an ever-changing selection of fresh fillings! You can include anything you like, but here is a brief list of some of our favorites:
Potential Ingredients
1 to 3 eggs for each person
1 to 2 tablespoons milk per person
spinach
onion, chopped (either raw or sautéed in butter; I enjoy yellow, red, or green onions in mine!)
garlic
sausage (browned)
ham
bacon (cooked)
mushrooms (I love button mushrooms sautéed with butter and garlic)
broccoli (steamed or microwaved until crisp-tender)
cauliflower (steamed or microwaved until crisp-tender)
chopped tomatoes
salsa
shredded cheese
peppers, either sweet or hot, diced
fresh herbs: thyme, basil, or chives are great
any leftover cooked meat or vegetable in the fridge! Be creative!
Equipment Needed:
Large pot of boiling water, plus heat source
4 to 6 wooden clothespins (one for each bag)
Heavy plastic zipper-type freezer bags, one per person
Bowls or plates to hold ingredients
Here are the basic instructions:
Put a tall pot of water on the stove (or campfire) and bring it to a boil.
Label a heavy zippered freezer bag for each person in your group, somewhere near the top. We used a permanent marker for this. Fold the top of the freezer bag down, forming a cuff on the outside.
Crack 2-3 eggs into your bag, depending on how big an omelet you want. If your kids are rookie egg crackers, you might prefer to let them crack each one into a bowl first, so you can pick out the shell pieces. (Alternately, for easy packing for a camping trip, combine your eggs and milk at home, and pour however much each person wants into their bag. You may also substitute cholesterol-free egg substitute, or reduce the number of egg yolks, for a low-fat alternative.)
Add about 1 tablespoon of milk for every 2 eggs, slightly more for 3 eggs. We just kind of "sloshed" some in from the jug, but you can measure if you are a perfectionist!
Add as much or as little of each filling ingredient as you wish! We set each filling out in a bowl, and just went down the line buffet-style.
Squeeze out as much excess air as possible, and zip the bag shut.
Use wooden clothespins to clip several bags around the inside perimeter of the pan. You can fit 4-6 bags at one time inside most big pots. Make sure that there is enough water to keep the omelet mostly submerged. If you have too much air in your bag, it will float above the surface!
Boil them for 7 to 9 minutes, until the omelet looks firmly set. A three-egg omelet, or one with lots of cheese and fillings, will take longer to cook through than a small omelet, or one with few fillings.
Carefully remove the bags from the boiling water. Unzip the bag, and let the omelet slide gently out onto your plate.
Salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!
At the end of the week, as we wrote in the cottage journal about our vacation, our boys both mentioned making Omelets-in-a-Bag as a big highlight of their trip! And there weren't even any messy egg-encrusted pans to deal with later!
Monday, June 01, 2009
Trout Fishing Tips, Tricks & Techniques
The trout are really hitting right here on our farm in NE Iowa on the Yellow River. Some gentlemen just this week filled their limit each day while staying at the Ion Inn. We’ve just made some improvements to our little secluded campsites right on the river. Here’s an article that I found on trout fishing techniques. Come on over to The Natural Gait and give it a try.
Trout Fishing Tips, Tricks, & Techniques to Help You Catch More Trout
By Trevor Kugler
Over the past 25 years, spent trout fishing from coast to coast, I've learned some valuable tips, tricks, and techniques that have resulted in many trout being caught. In this article I will reveal some of these tips, tricks, and techniques so that you can implement them into your trout fishing repertoire. I know that you will find them every bit as valuable as I do.
The first thing to keep in mind when it comes to trout fishing is that the more time that you can spend on the water, the better. Nothing will help your trout catching abilities like practicing your craft. Everyone says that patience is integral to fishing (and they're right), but practice is every bit as valuable as patience to being a successful fisherman. The bottom line is that the more time you can spend on the water, the better your angling skills will become, and the more fish you will catch.
Let's start with your fishing line. When fishing for trout a great trick is to use fishing line that's as light as possible. I personally prefer four pound test monofilament, and six pound test is passable in most trout fishing situations. I like to spool my reel with Stren clear blue monofilament so that the line is visible to me, yet undetectable to the trout. The bottom line is that trout live in cool, clear water and spook easily, so the lighter your line, the more bites you will get.
The next trout fishing trick is to use small fishing hooks. A great technique is to use gang hooks, which are two small hooks tied in tandem. These hooks allow you to present bait (especially worms) in a totally natural manner. This makes a HUGE difference in the number of bites that you receive. The "gang hook" trout fishing technique is deadly once mastered.
If you truly want to catch more trout one of the best tips I have is to make sure that you're on the water at the most opportune times. What do I mean by this? There are certain times of the day, week, and month that trout are more active than others. You can figure out when the best times for trout fishing are by paying attention to the weather and moon, and planning your fishing trips accordingly. This is easily one of the easiest trout fishing tips to implement into your fishing repertoire. Once you know the simple rules, you can start making sure that you are on the water fishing when the trout are the most active.
These trout fishing tips, tricks, and techniques will help you catch more trout as soon as they are learned and practiced, so I suggest you get out there and start putting one or all of them into action. You won't be disappointed, I promise you. Remember, the more time that you can spend on the water fishing for trout the better.
Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and Internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country.....Montana!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trevor_Kugler
Trout Fishing Tips, Tricks, & Techniques to Help You Catch More Trout
By Trevor Kugler
Over the past 25 years, spent trout fishing from coast to coast, I've learned some valuable tips, tricks, and techniques that have resulted in many trout being caught. In this article I will reveal some of these tips, tricks, and techniques so that you can implement them into your trout fishing repertoire. I know that you will find them every bit as valuable as I do.
The first thing to keep in mind when it comes to trout fishing is that the more time that you can spend on the water, the better. Nothing will help your trout catching abilities like practicing your craft. Everyone says that patience is integral to fishing (and they're right), but practice is every bit as valuable as patience to being a successful fisherman. The bottom line is that the more time you can spend on the water, the better your angling skills will become, and the more fish you will catch.
Let's start with your fishing line. When fishing for trout a great trick is to use fishing line that's as light as possible. I personally prefer four pound test monofilament, and six pound test is passable in most trout fishing situations. I like to spool my reel with Stren clear blue monofilament so that the line is visible to me, yet undetectable to the trout. The bottom line is that trout live in cool, clear water and spook easily, so the lighter your line, the more bites you will get.
The next trout fishing trick is to use small fishing hooks. A great technique is to use gang hooks, which are two small hooks tied in tandem. These hooks allow you to present bait (especially worms) in a totally natural manner. This makes a HUGE difference in the number of bites that you receive. The "gang hook" trout fishing technique is deadly once mastered.
If you truly want to catch more trout one of the best tips I have is to make sure that you're on the water at the most opportune times. What do I mean by this? There are certain times of the day, week, and month that trout are more active than others. You can figure out when the best times for trout fishing are by paying attention to the weather and moon, and planning your fishing trips accordingly. This is easily one of the easiest trout fishing tips to implement into your fishing repertoire. Once you know the simple rules, you can start making sure that you are on the water fishing when the trout are the most active.
These trout fishing tips, tricks, and techniques will help you catch more trout as soon as they are learned and practiced, so I suggest you get out there and start putting one or all of them into action. You won't be disappointed, I promise you. Remember, the more time that you can spend on the water fishing for trout the better.
Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and Internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country.....Montana!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trevor_Kugler
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