quail hunting

As I mentioned in an early post, Brad got his first quail this year.  He started hunting with Levi and Daddy late last season and is now officially hooked.  Here are a few pictures from that last trip.

Levi and Brad with that day's haul. 

Brad with Sadie and his bird.

Levi and Daddy both have short-hairs (Rascal and Loki) and Daddy has a wire-haired (Sadie) also.  She is a large dog!  And so silly.  I have been wanting another dog for a while now but working so far from the house poses a problem in being able to let the pup out during the day.  However, Brad is on board now because he has decided he wants some bird dogs of his own.  I'm okay with that!  :)

We may have to start with another lab and move up to bird dogs once we get the land (soon hopefully) and he knows more about how to train one.  Until then, it is more practice in the field for him.  Ha.

flat creek lodge

This weekend, Brad and I went to Flat Creek Lodge in Swainsboro.  We had a Groupon that we wanted to use in March but this weekend was the only one they had open.  Good thing because the weekend I had in mind for March, we have a wedding.  Oops. 

Martha and Win joined us for dinner because they live close.  Flat Creek actually used to be private and they were members and got engaged there. 

front gate

copper on gazebo over pond

(why are my pictures doing this??)

back of lodge

japanese bath house

black swans

brad on the deck outside our room

we took a golf cart all over on saturday morning

check-in

dairy.  they make their own cheese.  yum!

we sat out by the fire for several hours on friday night with the scotts

vehicles that they use for hunting and fishing on the 2000 acres

dining room

fire tower that guests can climb.  no thanks. 

fish on front gate

front of lodge with 12 rooms and meeting rooms

game room

we went fishing on saturday afternoon.  i snagged this teeny guy but we threw him back.  :)

ducks enjoying the rain on saturday night.  loved the sound of that on the tin roof.

unimogs from the WW II era in Germany

metal sculptures everywhere

peacocks.  this guy was ready to show off his tail but as soon as i raised my camera he turned away from me.  boo.

pool in bath house

quail

our raccoon room.  definitely very woodsy but neat.

all these windows opened onto the deck and over the water.

stuffed friends in our room.  better than snakes i guess. 

swan and pond around the cottages.

soaking tub in bath house

inside of unimog

the lodge had a full spa and many hunting/fishing options.  they also do tours of the dairy and tastings.  i decided to buy my own cheese and do a tasting at home.  they also grow mushrooms and berries there. 

good times! 



ski trip

Last weekend, we went to Banner Elk with the Bowens, Griffins, Jay and Beth and William and Liza.  Allen and Gail were supposed to join us but they were not able to get away. 

Views of the slightly snowy mountains from the ski shop on our way in. 

On Friday, I enjoyed the day by the fire in the house.  It is a waste of money for me to ski. 

(I am not sure why my pictures aren't saving in the right orientation.  Also, I need to take a camera class asap!!  Ha.)

The bottom floor...

Site of a few air hockey tournaments

and the creation of some Shingleritas!

Brad grew a beard to fend off the wind on the slopes.

The main, middle floor had the fireplace and kitchen. 

Everyone getting ready for dinner.  They were really hungry after thrashing the mountains all day.

Main floor

Top floor

Guys sledding in the back yard on Saturday.  Thank goodness it finally came.  They were really worried that is was going to be just fake snow but we ended up getting about 6 inches.

Matt and Mandy sledding

Matt with their snowwoman

Matt tweaked his knee and ankle on Friday so he stayed behind with me, Mel and Mandy on Saturday.  We had a movie day!  :)



salmon patties

This is not the fanciest meal but it is quick and quite good!

Salmon Patties

1 can of salmon (picked clean of 'bones' and skin)

1 egg

1 Tbs oil

1 Tbs cornmeal

1 Tbs flour

Mix all ingredients together until it is wet.  You can form them into any shape but I prefer cones or true patties.  Coat the surface in crushed Saltine crackers.  Heat a little vegetable oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat and saute patties until gbd (golden, brown, delicious).  If you do cones, you'll have to roll them around the pan and stand on end to get done. 

I served mine up with some organic mac & cheese with some chipped broccoli. 

ritz chicken

This has always been my favorite way to prepare chicken.  It is very easy and so amazingly tender and flavorful.  I love it because you can freeze the crumb mixture and continue to use it for months or more. 

3/4 c canned parmesan cheese

2 c crushed Ritz crackers

1/4 c parsley

1 clove pressed/minced garlic

2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together in a large ziploc bag.  Line loaf pan (for 2-3 breasts) or casserole dish (for more) with foil, enough to lap back over chicken.  Make sure the breasts are fairly tight in the dish.  Brush thawed chicken breasts with a little melted butter and cover with crumb mixture.  Cover chicken with remaining foil and bake at 350 until done through, usually about an hour.  Open the foil for the last 5-10 minutes to further crisp and brown the Ritz.

Freeze remaining crumb mixture and use straight from freezer for future dinners.

*Jami's notes: I guess you could try real shredded parm but not sure how that would work.  I use a little garlic powder instead of fresh garlic due to freezing it.  You could put the crumb mixture on the top and bottom of the chicken but I have found the bottom layer gets soggy with juices.*

Enjoy!