Do you think we are ever going to make it out of here?

It sounds like a broken record and oh so boring as weather forecasters are calling for more snow every day. It has been snowing, snowing and snowing and the snow piles are growing to a point that it will be July by the time they are melted. Just this morning Benno was trying to locate our parked travel trailer in the snowdrift with a 10-foot pole :-)

Seriously, we are pulling your leg.  However, the big boy snowplows and big frontend loaders were coming by to master the onslaught and we were even lucky, because most of the snow bypassed our location. Windsor was not so lucky and got hammered. That concerns us because we are still planning on taking the trailer south sometimes this month.  The best we can do is monitor the weather here and along our planned route to see if we can catch a break for traveling.

Here is a picture we took today after cleaning up yesterdays snowfall. The roof of the travel trailer even has a little snowdrift.

My garden shed is sporting long ice cycles and the birds are hiding in the neighbor’s trees from the elements.

Even Reggy and Elsa, our two Dachshunds are getting bored. They sit by the window while dreaming of long walks in green grass somewhere warm. They do beg to go outside to romp in the snow but that activity doesn’t last very long. 

So while we are hibernating at home there is no reason we could not barbecue with snow piled up outside. Besides, we have to empty the freezer before we leave. The BBQ is stored in the garage and with both windows and the side door open to let the smoke out, Benno manages to grill the meat just fine without standing in the cold.

I had a pork loin that we wanted to use up and one of my favorite recipes for that is to marinate it before grilling.  The leftover marinade I also use for the cutup potatoes to fry separately on the stove.  A loin of that size is quite a lot for two people, but after grilling it can be refrozen, easily rewarmed in the microwave, or eaten cold sliced up on a sandwich. The day I cut that loin to 1” thick slices I usually take two thick slices from the end, cut them in the middle to butterfly them then tenderize them with my meat tenderizer (hammer) and fry them breaded for dinner as schnitzel, while the rest of the loin, after trimming it off the fat, is used for marinating.

The marinated pork chops will be very tender this way and the potatoes are also very tasty. If you like BBQ sauce, top the grilled meat with a little “Diana Gourmet Rib and Chicken” sauce. Try it!

Ingredients for my marinade:

½ cup each of olive oil and ½ cup canola oil

1 tbsp. each of Italian seasoning, curry powder, paprika powder, mustard and steak seasoning (I use Club House La Grille or the Weber steak seasoning)

2 medium sized yellow onions, halved and sliced

Adjust the quantities for the marinade to the portion of the meat, but the marinade can be stored in the fridge for a while before using.

Hopefully on my next update I will tell you that the camper is packed and the truck is warming up ready to roll. We can't wait!