Golf Day and Moving around

Today was THE DAY.
After starting as a novice golfer here out on our desert golf course my friend Linda and I decided it was time to try the REAL thing. She booked us for a 9 hole  at the Barbara Worth Golf Club near Holtville, CA.
Linda's husband Bob was so kind to give us a drop off/pick up and take some nice pictures before we set out.

Welcome to the Golf Club!

Instead of coarse desert floor we walked on nice soft grass and the balls actually rolled in a straight line, not diverted by any rocks and pebbles.
What an experience! That was the good thing.

Of course, there are always two sides to a coin.
The down side was that it felt like "rush hour" on the course. In the desert we take our time, it is quiet and calming. On the course it was one cart full of golfer after the other that wanted to rush by. We grew tense and a little stressed.

A long way to the green!

On their website is says: quote" The par 72 course is short by today’s standards..."quote off. Well, for us the distances were HUGHE! :))
All the "pros" were way faster in getting their golf balls across to the green than we were and, we often had to offer a group to just go first while we waited.

I guess we have do a little more training on our desert course. :))

The other thing, we moved away from our spot among the bushes and out into the open.
The rising temperatures brought out tiny winged bugs that and Molly's water dish was suddenly crowded by ants.

Tiny ants on and around Molly's water dish

The solution is simple since we live on wheels and can move our "house" anytime anywhere, and we did.

Our new spot

A constant breeze kept the heat out of the trailer all day. We were able to sit in the shade and read WITHOUT getting eaten up by the bugs! Very nice, indeed.
There are good friends close by and even the new ones found the way to our new digs. Just when I started out for dinner I heard a voice saying "hello" outside. It turned to be Barbara from Me and My Dog on her evening walk with her sweet little dog Katie.
Again I forgot to take a photo. Barbara, we have to do that! Remind me next time when you stop by. :))

For the dinner part:
Yesterday I cooked a beef stew and boiled some potatoes.
Today there was just a 15 minutes warming up and the food was ready!
Life can be so easy!

Beef stew with potato salad

Ingredients:
1 pound of beef stew meat
1/4 onion, minced
1/4 cup of smoked bacon, cubed
oil to brown the meat
1 green bell pepper, cubed
1 carrot, sliced
1 cup of cooked pinto beans (had a batch in the freezer from last week)
2 cups of beef broth (optional use red wine)
salt
pepper
paprika powder

Directions:
Heat up the oil and brown the meat, onions and bacon.
Fill up with broth or other fluid and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add vegetables and simmer for another half hour. Season to taste.

Side dish: potato salad. How I do my German potato salad. Go to "search this blog" and type in "potato salad". Choose my posting from July 22, 2011.

Grilled Pork Ribs and Potato Salad

Summertime is time for potato salad. Therefor I cooked already some potatoes yesterday. Today I bought 4 nice country style pork ribs.
Peel 5 cooked potatoes and slice them into a bowl.
Dressing: 3 tbsp sour cream, 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp mustard, salt, pepper, sugar and a tiny pinch of curry powder. Dill, parsley, of course. Mix the dressing with some brine of pickled cucumbers.
(Sometimes I add onions and/or boiled egg to the potato salad, but today its the very plain version).

Mix all well and set aside.














Take ribs and steam with little water for about 15 - 20 minutes.  Drain and season the meat with salt, pepper, lemon pepper and grill until done.


(Maybe someone is missing here all these special, sticky grill sauces people use to flavour their grilled ribs with - just go ahead and put it on. We like ours the plain way.
A tomato brings colour to the plate.

That's for today: Grilled Pork Ribs and Potato Salad

Die Deutsche Ecke:
Schweinerippchen vom Grill mit Kartoffelsalat.
Die vorgekochten, abgekühlten Kartoffeln in Scheiben schneiden. Eine Soße aus 3 Eßl creme fraise, 2 Eßl Mayonaise und 1 Tlf Senf bereiten. Mit Salz, Pfeffer, Zucker und einer winzigen Messerspitze Curry würzen. Dill und Petersilie hinzufügen. Zum Verdünnen nehme ich etwas Flüssikeit von eingemachten Gurken.
(Manchmal gebe ich Zwiebeln und ein hartgekochtes Ei dazu, aber heute ist der Salat ganz einfach). Alles gut mischen und ziehen lassen.
Die Rippchen mit etwas Wasser ca 15 - 20 Minuten dämpfen. Dann mit Salz, Peffer und Zitronenpfeffer würzen und braun grillen.
(Mancher wird hier die beliebten Grillsoßen vermissen. Wir mögen die Rippchen lieber ohne die klebrigen Mischungen).
Eine in Scheiben geschnittene Tomate bring Farbe auf den Teller.