You like winter, right?

Happy Groundhog's Day! Sorry anti-winter folks, but Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning - 6 more weeks of winter! But isn't winter supposed to be around 6 more weeks anyway? At least, that's what my calendar says.

While I love winter, I know a lot of you out there don't. Some people, not to mention any names (my mom), threaten to head south at the site of the first snowflake.  So for those of you who are anti-winterites, I give you the following post...

Groundhog Revenge

Oh sure, Mr. Groundhog.  You look all cute poking your head out of your little hole in the ground.  You harbinger of evil!!!  Uh, I mean, come here little guy...  No, we're not gonna hurt you...

Yup.  Groundhogs make lovely slippers.

And hats.

Running low on food for your pet snake?

Or maybe you just need a good home-cooked meal to help get over the winter blues.  So, from the ushotstuff.com website, may I suggest a gastronomic delight?

 

Waco Groundhog in Sour Cream

Recipe By: "Indian Cookin'", compiled by Herb Walker, 1977

1 Groundhog, skinned & cleaned
1/2 cup Vinegar
1 tablespoon Salt
2 quarts Water
2 teaspoons Soda
1/2 cup Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Allspice
1/2 cup Bacon fat
3 small Wild onions
1/2 cup Water
1 cup Sour cream

Skin and clean the groundhog. Wash and dry and put in an earthen crock. Cover with water and a half cup of vinegar and 1 T. of salt. Let stand in a cool place overnight. In the morning, remove from
brine, wash and pat dry with a damp cloth. In a large soup kettle combine 2 qt. of water and 2 T. of soda. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, removing the scum as it rises to the
surface. Drain and rinse the groundhog meat and cut into serving pieces. Combine the flour, salt and allspice and dredge the pieces of meat in the mixture. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Melt the bacon
fat in a heavy iron frying pan until smoking. Brown meat on all sides. Transfer the browned meat into a greased 4 qt. casserole. Arrange sliced onions on top, add water, cover and bake in a
preheated oven for 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Transfer the meat to a heated platter to keep warm. Put the casserole on top of the stove over medium heat and spoon in the sour cream stirring
constantly. Do not let the sauce come to a boil. Put the meat back into the casserole and simmer for about 15 minutes. Delicious served with creamed dandelion leaves.

Now didn't that just brighten your day?  As always, I'm a giver. You're welcome.

Me and my shadow

Well kids, looks like Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning. You wanted 6 more weeks of winter, didn't you? As for me, I'm still waiting for winter to show up here. But since I know that some of you have had a tough winter already, I figured I'd give you some ideas on how to keep yourself warm for the next 6 weeks.

Groundhog slippers - A must for anybody with feet. Not only do they keep your feet warm, it's like one swift kick up the backside of the animal that is the cause of your weather-related problems.

The groundhog beanie cap - Nothing says warm and cozy like the wide-eyed stare of a dead groundhog on your head.

Mocking the groundhog - Hey, it always warms the heart to mock, right?

If those things fail to keep you warm and toasty, I have one more suggestion for you. Recipes. For groundhog. Tastes just like chicken. And it'll be a warning to all the other groundhogs out there who dare to stick their head out of their home and make predictions we don't like. Hmmm... I wonder what a good side dish would be to go with Waco Groundhog in Sour Cream...

Only The Shadow knows...

Happy Groundhog's Day! Sorry anti-winter folks, but Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning - 6 more weeks of winter! But isn't winter supposed to be around 6 more weeks anyway? At least, that's what my calendar says.

I love winter! Where I live, it's unusual to get enough snow that it actually sticks, but this season we got snowed in. My daughter and I loved it, but my husband, not so much. He was saying the other day that he liked the weather in California better (we moved from So. Cal. a few years ago). I really hated the weather there. The only way you could tell that it was winter was that the temps dropped below 90 degrees. Ick. So, yes, I really enjoy having real seasons. Bring on the snow!

My only problem is that after living in Southern California my whole life, I'm unprepared in the clothing department for winter. I did buy a coat this year though. Oh, and I just bought some really comfy gloves! But that's about it for me. I keep thinking that I'll get more snow-friendly clothing, but it just doesn't happen. With 6 more weeks of winter to contend with, maybe I should consider doing some shopping.

So, Happy Groundhog's day to all those who love winter. To those who don't, you might want to do something before next February 2nd to make sure that you're not stuck in this predicament again.