Exciting news! There's a Beef Mobile in town. That's right - farm-fresh, grain-fed, locally grown beef. No growth hormones, resulting in high quality, lean, tender beef. (got all this from the brochure). The van's in Kendallville on Friday and Saturday in the Community State Bank Parking Lot. Look, it has horns and it moos. She's got a big chest freezer in there and a mini-office. Very cool. Buying it like this is supposed to save me lots of mooola. I don't know about that, but I bought some ground beef and a chuck roast to try. Recipe at the end of the blog.

Stormy and I have started a dress club. Stormy doesn't know it yet, but she will when she reads this post. We (Stormy and I) have decided that there's a definite need for such a club because, how many times have you seen a dress online or in a catalog and thought "It looks great - what could possibly be wrong with this dress?" Then, the dress comes and you find out that there could, indeed, be something possibly wrong with it. Periodically, we will let you know when we've found a great dress (or other apparel) and when we've come across a clunker. For example, Stormy ordered a dress a couple of weeks ago, which looked great, but when she tried it on, the collar made her look like Jane Jetson!

So, here's a real gem. It's a keeper because the v-neck is not too low, exposing possible cleavage, which is not good in the workplace, and the length is just right, at least for the more mature woman who does not want the world to see her chuffy knees. I called up my sister, Lori, and told her about the dress. Now she's also in the dress club. It's from Talbot's and you can see it online. It gets a 4-hanger review from Big Lou. Stormy will be reporting in soon regarding a black cowl-necked number from J.Jill.

Sidelights:

1. Work actually began this week on the new addition. The stump was removed and concrete was poured. Our contractor guy, Jason, assures me we'll be eating Thanksgiving Dinner in it. I plan to go to Middlebury this week and order our table.

2. Headline in the sports section of the Southern Illinoisan on Saturday: "Terriers Clamp Down in Win." This would be referring to the Carbondale football team, which is coached by brother-in-law, Dan. It seems that the Terriers really sunk their teeth into the Murphysboro Red Devils Friday night. Check the September and November 08 blog posts for further explanation - or maybe not.

3. Hickory Hill Hans enjoyed two ears of corn, a peach, and three apples this week. Bob is worried he'll get stuck in his little groundhog hole door.

From the Archives: 1976. Lori and I get ready for Jeff and Conni's wedding. Who would have guessed that one day we would end up in the same dress club????

Oh, and "Happy Birthday Conni!"

Recipe of the Week:

On Sunday, I used the chuck roast that I purchased from the Beef Mobile to make this New England style pot roast. I have to admit that at first I wasn't too sure about it, but Bob and I both liked it very much. It is not a pretty dish, however, (nothing with cabbage ever is) so I did not take a photo. The horseradish gravy is good.

New England Style Pot Roast

1 pot roast, about 3 to 4 pounds

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 medium onions, cut into quarters

2 celery stalks, cut into chunks

4 carrots, cut into quarters

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons vinegar

5 cups water

1 small wedged cabbage

Sauce

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

2 tablespoons flour

1 & 1/2 cup reserved beef broth

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Sprinkle pot roast with salt and pepper. Place onions, carrots, and celery in slow cooker; place roast over the vegetables. Add bay leaf, vinegar and water. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours or until the roast is tender. About 30 minutes before done, cook cabbage wedges in boilng salted water until just tender. Remove meat and switch to high setting. Add cooked cabbage wedges to the crockpot; cover and cook on high for about 15 to 25 minutes or until cabbage is done.

Meanwhile, melt butter in saucepan. Stir in instant onion and flour. Drain 1 & 1/2 cups of broth out of the crockpot. Pour broth, horseradish and salt into saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened and smooth. Serve sauce over roast with vegetables.

"It's easy to sit there and say you'd like to have more money. And I guess that's what I like about it. It's easy. Just sitting there, rocking back and forth, wanting that money." Jack Handey