Made a cranberry trail mix that just oozes with the tastes and smells of cold weather comfort. Now I'll more than likely overdue it and won't want it again for another year.

With the holidays just around the corner, I've been busy baking and freezing sugar cookies of every shape and size. Primarily of the Halloween variety but am growing weary so may pull out the Autumn and Thanksgiving cutters in the next week or so. What I'm REALLY waiting for is decorating time.

I'm finishing the last of my homemade dill pickles from last years crop. Cold, crunchy, snappy, and spicy. What better on another blistering hot day.

Neither. We have much better ice cream around here to spend money on. If forced to choose, it would probably have to be HD. Too many add-ins in B&J.

With another year of record setting temps, it is getting more difficult to come up with something that will satisfy everyone. It's so hot to cook, and even though grilling is an option, I am not in the mood to eat after being in 108 degrees and the heat coming off the grill.
All I can think of is cold, cold, cold.....anything cold sounds refreshing. But how many salads can a person eat?
What are you doing to survive this heat wave?

Super-processed? Horribly delicious? OMG...there are so many.
My number one is Velveeta....for grilled cheese or with Rotel for tortilla chips. It is a must during football season, along with Lil Smokies prepared in bbq sauce (Masterpiece Original) and beer.
When I'm on the road it has to be Micky D's Sausage and Cheese Biscuit or Sausage and Cheese McMuffin...but never with the egg. Probably 2-3 times a year I'll cave when I see a Sonic drive in. I has to be the foot long chili cheese coney.
But I save the big time for the State Fair! I must admit...I regress to my childhood and first stop....Pronto Pup, It's on to the Red Onion for their home made fried red onion rings with plenty of salt. For my sugar fix its a toss up...large cotton candy or salt-water taffy. It's mandatory to also stop by the dairy barn and have some delicious ice cream. It's a good thing I only attend once every 3 or 4 years.

Here I thought I was the only one who delighted in stacking and smashing potato chips on my sandwiches. I don't do it in front of anyone because of past experiences. Now, I can come out of the "kitchen closet" and proudly stack my chips, just right, then smash the sandwich together for that first wonderful crunchy bite!
BTW...It makes no difference what type of sandwich...to me they're all good. Tuna, Bologna (cut just the right thickness at the deli) and deli cut cheese, Salami and cheese....Heck I've been known to eat chips on a lowly cheese with mayo sandwich when I was out of luncheon meat.
My other favorite way of eating chips....cottage cheese as the dip. There, my secret is out.
My favorite chip is always home made, with sea salt.

Perhaps I'm on the old fashioned side (besides being raised by my Southern family) but I am so tired of inappropriate behavior. Be it in a restaurant, on the street, in a retail store, etc. we have become a country of NO manners. I find it inexcusable to allow such drunken idiots to dictate the pleasure of an evening. Kudos to you for speaking up and shame on the proprietor for not taking care of this situation when it first started. Even during Carnivale and Mardi Gras, I have always been able to have a nice dinner at a reasonable decibel level and without the foul language of inebriated imbeciles. Those six were old enough to know better!

Does anyone know what one might pay for tart cherries at a farmer's market?

He sprays pesticides as well as fertilizer. Type of person who doesn't bother to let me know he's spraying anhydrous, so I can take precautions to protect my family and animals.

Make sure you wear protective gloves! Just sayin... ;)

I think that is the question I was waiting for!
The simplest answer is, yes. But...(isn't there always a but?)
The idea behind grass fed beef is to produce a more natural product (feeding them they way they are meant to eat) and not trying to feed them what "we" as humans cast off and use for cattle feed. In doing so, there are producers who do fertilize their grass during rotation periods, but not all. I do not use fertilizer of any type on our pasture and bail it for use during the winter months. Having said that, I have a neighbor who does fertilizer/spray his and I get very annoyed as some of my pasture does get "drift" from his applications. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do to prevent it.
Non-organic beef (especially located in harder winter areas) will most likely be fed some type of forage that has been treated with a pesticide during its growth period. Organic, on the other hand cannot be fed anything treated with chemicals and still be certified as organic.
:)

In our area, grass-fed, means just that. The cattle are raised on open pasture that is cared for using responsible farming methods. They are free to roam, eating a natural diet of forage which is what they were meant to eat.
Cattle raised in confined areas cannot be called grass fed/pasture fed as they require additional types of supplemental feeding.
You'll find that most grass-fed operations practice sustainable farming. They pay very close attention to the type of grasses grown, do not inject hormones or use growth enhancing products, rotate pastures to preserve the wellness of the soil and the animals, irrigate so they don't have to worry about quantity and/or quality of grass, and raise much healthier animals.
If you are looking for 100% grass fed beef you can go to eatwild.com to look for local growers or you can check with your nearest organic/natural food store. Their meat (beef, pork, chicken, etc) will more than likely be what you are looking for. There are also small operations that sell direct to customers. They will either butcher for you, have a specific butcher they use, or would be more than happy to use one that you prefer.

Caveat...Pay close attention to packaging labels in food stores. If you see anything that uses the phrase, "finished" stay far away. These are cattle that have been raised in a confined lot and put back on grass/pasture just weeks before they are sent to the sale.

I nearly forgot to address your concern about supplementing. During this drought, it has been necessary to supplement with quality tested high protein hay and alfalfa, as is done during winter months when there there is little grass available.

Hope this helps answer some of your questions, if not, please let me know and I'll try to be a bit more thorough, as this is a complex subject once you begin to study it.

Best to you...
Victoria
(From a KS girl who raised cattle, swine, wheat, and horses)

Two weeks in Wichita? Not knowing what your budget is here is a list of area eateries and a small bit of information.
Local establishments that have their roots in Wichita include the original NUWay Cafe (where crumbly is better) 1416 W Douglas. Their burgers are made with crumbled beef, root beer is made daily, and their onion rings are wonderful. It opened July 4, 1930 and remains a local institution.
Heart of Downtown
Cafe Bel Ami, 229 East Williams, (corner of Williams and S. Broadway). A French - Mediterranean mix. A quiet restaurant for a nice business lunch or an evening out. I've always found the food nicely prepared and presented.
In old town (just east of downtown)
The Old Mill Tasty Shop, 604 E Douglas, another Wichita tradition with an old fashioned soda fountain. Arrive before lunch so you don't have to wait to be seated.
Larkspur Bistro and Bar, 904 East Douglas. French, Italian, Mediterranean, and American. A nice evening meal or a great lunch.
Caffé Moderne, 300 N. Mead. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I've not eaten there but friends suggest if you go for nothing else, go for the gelato!!
The Anchor, 1109 East Douglas. Steaks, burgers, and plenty of sandwich selections.
B&C Barbeque, 355 N Washington. Smoked BBQ in an old auto
East Wichita
Yia Yia's, 8115 E. 21st St. North (Rock Road and 21st) Located on the north end of Bradley Fair Shopping Center. Semi-casual dining, nice wine list, fairly complete menu. I can't go there without having the Shrimp A La Plancha, which serves me as an entire lunch.

Chester's Chop House, 1550 N Webb Rd. I almost hesitate to list this as I have struggled eating at Chester's. I've eaten sea bass that was quite delicious but could not stand the noise in the main dining area. I carry a pocket flashlight to read the menu not knowing they have them available for your use. We took a business associate there for dinner and were seated beyond the main dining area to one overlooking the lake. It was much more pleasant and the steak nearly melted in my mouth. The last visit made up for the "average" visits. Be forewarned it is a pricey meal.
I'll get back with a few others but have run out of time.

To be able to move your range is something most would love to be able to do. Am I correct in understanding you are experiencing what your renter does? Enjoy things from a new perspective.
I have lived in some very small places with kitchens that left a lot to be desired. But looking back, I can honestly say that I had "fun" in those kitchens. To present friends with delicious food, made with love is what it was about for me. Fast forward to today, I have a beautifully designed kitchen with top end appliances, more counter space than I could ever have dreamed of, two additional prep areas with sinks, multi-level counters built specifically to my height (I'm on the short side), a walk in pantry hidden behind a lit china cabinet, even a sitting area surrounded by windows, and find myself dreaming of being in one of those small kitchens again. Perhaps it is due to the fact that the children are gone and it is just the two of us. Maybe it is because we live in the country and don't have the occasional drop in friend(s). So, is it our kitchen that makes us love it or not? I prefer to think it is what resides inside us that brings joy to our kitchens. Once I get through "empty nest" syndrome, perhaps I'll find that love of creating once again.