Roasted garlic

Simple and delicious--completely natural, roasted garlic may be used in a number of different ways.


1. Slice off the top of a whole large head of garlic so that the the garlic shows through the thin paper that separates each clove (May use Elephant Garlic also, doesn't work with fresh garlic)

2. Place it on a sheet of aluminum foil

3. Drizzle olive oil on top.

4. Wrap tightly

5. Place in a heated oven and bake on 450 degrees for an hour. Don't waste the heat on just one, make several heads at once.

6. To use the garlic, let it cool. Squeeze each clove out onto a dish for garlic mashed potatoes or to smear directly on brushcetta, or to infuse olive oil for certain dishes.

Witchy Halibut

September 24th

Halibut with a bit of a witch, starting with “B”

Prepare two things in advance:

1. Wilt spinach in olive oil and garlic. Set aside.

2. Make a sauce of olive oil, garlic, lots of hot pepper, parsley, basil, capers, black olives, wine, anchovies and tomatoes. Set aside.

3. Then quickly sauté halibut in butter and white wine—careful not to poach. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add the sauce to the fish and heat thoroughly.

5. Place fish on a bed of spinach and serve. (May also serve with mashed potatoes or rice).

Dinner’s done! Enjoy!

Recommended Reading

Recommended reading: Support the Arts: buy books!

Novels and more! Here are some books I recommend:

Requiem, Mass. by John Dufresne

Cruel Poetry by Vicki Hendricks (noir)

In the Heat by Ian Vasquez (mystery)

Straits of Fortune by Anthony Gagliano (mystery)

All or Nothing by Preston Allen

Some Assembly Required by Lynn Kiele Bonasia

The Heiress of Water by Sandra Rodriguez

The Secret Names of Women by Lynn Barrett (stories)

You Can’t Get There From Here by Leonard D. Nash (stories, Kitsune Books)

The Neighborhoods of My Past Sorrow by Jesse Millner (poetry, forthcoming, Kitsune Books)

Choke Creek by Lauren Small (novel, forthcoming. Bridle Path Press)

The Given Day by Dennis Lehane (historical literary fiction! Yeah!!!)

Meet You in Hell by Les Standiford

Hell's Bay by James W. Hall

The Highjacking of Jesus by Dan Wakefield

Seven Notebooks by Campbell Mc Grath (poems)

Two and Two by Denise Duhamel (poems)

Secret Aisian Man by Nick Carbo (poems)

When Katie Wakes by Connie May Fowler (memoir)

Cutlets saltimbocca "jump in your mouth"

September 22nd

Today is officially the first day of Autumn.

And what did this first Fall day bring me here in Utah? Snow on the mountains, a 40 degree rainy morning that has now dissipated and sun shines beatifically on the riotously beautiful changing colors of leaves on the maples and aspens on the hillocks and mountains. Is there a season that I don’t like? Not really because each one has its own splendor.

So enough waxing poetic and rapturous about Fall and the day, and onto last night’s cutlets…

Easy cutlets—veal or beef. Dip thin-thin cuts, almost as if you could see the light through them, as my Dad used to say, into beaten egg and then seasoned breadcrumbs. I add grated cheese to the mix, either Romano or Parmigiano.

Before you fry them, if they are large, half them, and then cut a few edges and make a slit in the center so they won’t “buckle.” Fry these in corn oil with only a tablespoon or so of olive oil on a high flame. Remove immediately. Douse the bottom of a huge rectangle oven-proof dish (I used Corning for this) with some tomato sauce. I used a simple marinara—that is garlic and basil only…of course a little salt. Arrange the cutlets into this.

On top of the cutlets put a generous helping of mozzarella and shredded or grated Parmigiano. Cover this with prosciutto. If you don’t have that handy, then use sliced ham. ( and if you don’t have mozzarella or Parmigiano handy, use Emmental (Swiss) by itself or with another kind of yummy cheese. Irrigate the whole with more sauce and a smattering of chopped basil and parsley.

Bake in a hot oven: 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese oozes out of the beneath the ham and mounded and rounded cutlets.

Enjoy hot…or at room temperature. Makes a great "leftover" sandwich on Italian or ciabatta bread. Beats humdrum hotdogs!

You can also freeze these in the state before baking and in advance of a dinner party.

Signing off in the Wasatch Mountains...

Spaghetti alla puttanesca

2nd recipe of his lovely Sunday, Sept. 21 in the Wasatch Mountains

Spaghetti alla Putanesca
Spaghetti Whore’s Style

Basically it’s home style sauce, “casalinga,” that’s been dolled up, tarted-up, coquetted-up to look and taste fancier and make a sensation on or off the streets!

Ingredients:

Olive oil
Plum tomatoes
½ glass of white wine
Salt
Hot pepper
Anchovies
Garlic
Parsley
Basil

Flood the bottom of a huge heavy fry pan with olive oil and fling in a bunch of garlic.

When the garlic is golden and just browning—toss in a small can of anchovies, oil and all. Jump back quickly or you'll burn yourself with a firecracker starburst of hot oil. In other words, cover the pot immediately or suffer the consequences. this is one of the reasons chefs cook with white jackets and aprons. The other reason is so that we can distinguish them form priests.

Add ½ glass of white wine and raise the heat.

In two minutes or so add 2 lbs of peeled plum Italian tomatoes. Capers, black olives and chopped fresh parsley, some basil leaves. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. In the meantime cook the spaghetti. Ok, reader, the golden rule of spaghetti cooking is??? Of course, abundant salted water in a big, not skimpy mind you pot. Don’t overcook it—usually 8 minutes will do,. In the mountains add 2-3 minutes more…you’re going to have to taste it, to be sure. I just give a few strands to FR and he serves as cavia….guinea pig.

Not any, and I mean absolutely not a drop of cheese is used in this pasta dish.

Serve immediately.

Tomato Pie

Blog Sept. 21st

Tomato pie

Seems like I never do one thing at a time...must be the Gemini personality. So here’s the recipe for 2 tomato pies. One pie serves 8 as an appetizer, or use it instead of salad.

Ingredients:

8 large, ripe tomatoes
1 huge sweet onion
black pepper
1 cup of mayonnaise
¾ 4o 1 cup of grated /and or shredded Parmigiano
¾ to 1 cup of mozzarella
fresh basil
fresh or dried oregano
a little drink of olive oil

The difficult better way:

1. Wash and slice 8 ripe tomatoes. I combine garden and chunky Romas, put them in a sieve, sprinkle with a little salt. Put a weight on top. I usually place clear plastic wrap on top of the tomatoes, then place a kettle filled to the brim with water. Leave over night

2. Slice a huge onion any old which way and put on paper towels and cover for the night. No, you do not have to refrigerate either tomatoes or the onions, and you won’t die from botulism, I promise. (Tomatoes contain ascorbic acid and Vitamin C. They are natural antioxidants and contain lycopene, which is absorbed by the body faster if the tomatoes are cooked. If you don’t believe me, Google it!)

The easy, non-caring if you screw up way: skip step #1. What will happen is your tomatoes may release their own water and the pie will then be a gooky glop…your choice.

3. In the morning, bake two deep dish pie crusts

4. When cool, line the bottom of the pie crusts with onion and arrange the sliced tomatoes over these. Shake over some coarse ground pepper. I use a lot, and to tell the truth, sometimes add a dash of hot ground pepper…because my husband likes things spicy…he married me, didn’t he?

5. Heat the over to 350 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes. In the mountains, give it another 5 minutes.

6. Garnish with lots of fresh basil, small whole leaves and sliced large ones, and fresh oregano, if you have it. I use dried oregano and if you use it also, you won’t fail the course. Ipso facto guaranteed.

Coniglio: Rabbit ( Nico's recipe "retouched" by Mom)

Here's a recipe my son sent me and I 'fixed up' to lessen the degree of difficulty.

CONIGLIO AL CIOCCOLATO for 4 diners

1 coniglio: rabbit
1 onion
3 ribs of celery
2 bay leaves
a fistful of pinoli
a fistful of raisins
2 small carrots cut into round slices
3 or 4 cloves
20 grams of wild fennel--or the soft, green tops of a large fennel and some seeds.
1 glass of white wine--actual recipe calls for white vinegar, but only if the rabbit is wild.
1 tablespoon of sugar
3 tablespoons of bitter chocolate
flour
olive oil
salt, pepper

(May also use brandy and/or sherry, and slivered almonds in the preparation, if desired)

Preparation:

Skin the rabbit and cut into pieces.

Dip each piece into seasoned flour

Braise these pieces "sweetly" (as with kind, gentle persuasion) in a large heavy fry pan. with hot olive oil until they are golden.

In another pan, add the minced onion, pieces of celery, carrots, and slowly sauté in olive oil on a moderate flame.

When these vegetables have wilted and turned pale, but before gaining much color, add the bay leaves, pinoli (pine nuts), and raisins (if you have the tiny less sweet Sicilian ones, use these), cloves, and a few fennel seeds and the tops of the fennel.

When slightly golden, add the rabbit already cooked, salt and pepper. Cover lightly with the sugar and pieces of chocolate.

Stir the sauce and gingerly turn the meat.

Irrigate with wine (or vinegar), cover and cook on a slow flame until a little thickened sauce, rather consistent form. Turn the rabbit pieces once or twice.

Serve hot with mashed potatoes or rice, or tiny pennette.

Coda alla Vaccinara: ox tails Roman style alla Nina

Coda alla vaccinara

It seems these are "fat" times for the blog, but soon I'll be moving into a lean period as I intend to finish the revision of my novel set in China and I'll be traveling. So we'll double dip today and I'll give the coda recipe and next will follow the rabbit recipe, speaking of which I saw my first cotton-tail out here in UT in Heber City last night--to be specific the new Red Ledges property, which is huge and gorgeous and still has some lots for available for sale. Contact Maria Johnson: mariajohnson@redledges.com Goggle it here: http://www.redledges.com/

Well, my son wanted to make rabbit with a chocolate sauce, but couldn't find any in south Florida. I think he ordered it special for next week. I'll put that recipe on later. So he's having company and wanted to do a pasta combination meat dish. I gave him this one that follows. It's not really ox, but beef and it's wonderful. What my Mom used to call "peasant" food because it was a cheap dinner to feed a lot of people...but what's cheaaaaaap anymore??? My son paid $4.89 a lb in Penn Dutch...and what do you do with a lb? Nada.

So here's my recipe...for 3-4 lbs of ox tails.

Rosalare (braise) the tails on pretty high heat till they are browned on all sides. Keep turning and watch them so they don't burn.

Then cover them with beef broth, and cover with lid, and let simmer low to medium heat till tender. Don't do the bouquet garni--a waste of time--just add lots of long cut pieces of celery 2 & 1/2 to 3 in long, and also if you have them, whole baby carrots--if you don't have them, then don't sweat it because friend Pina (who lives in Rome) makes coda without.

After 1/2 hour or so--maybe 45 min, remove lid and the broth should start to evaporate, raise the heat to medium /high heat. You'll need another 3/4 hour to be sure they are tender. Stir once in a while.

When done, drain meat and veggies and replace into pot, and save the extra juice on the side. Into the pot with the meat and veggies only, add olive oil, 4 cloves of garlic and 1 medium-sized sweet onion (minced).

When garlic and onion are golden, toss in a glass of white wine, and on high flame cook out the alcohol, and then add a can of whole plum tomatoes, about 1-2 lbs. that you squish and squash, also some basil, a bay leaf if you have it.

It's been such a long time, that I don't remember if Pina adds bacon or guanciale (pancetta), but if you decide to do this, do it when you're frying to golden the garlic and onions. (Adds extra flavor, but don't add too much--say 3 ounces.)

Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower heat and cook till the meat is totally tender and flavored...and the tomatoes have thickened. Taste for salt and pepper. I usually make things spicy for your Dad, so I add hot pepper to the garlic stage. Let this all cook 30-45 minutes.
Here below is another explanation--also you can do that chocolate sauce with these...I never had it, but it sounds good.

Serve with 1 lb of fettuccine, linguine, or spaghetti topped with the sauce...add grated parmigiano or Romano with a sprinkling of chopped parsley to each individual dish. Serves 6

Dennis Lehane: The Given Day

Dennis Lehane scores again...BIG TIME!!!

Congrats, Dennis!

Well you can pre-order his book, The Given Day, a 704 page historical novel on www.amazon.com at the reduced price of $18 and change, and I suggest you do, as opposed to the $27 change you'll be paying when the book hits the biggie bookstores.

Thank you, Dennis, for this resurgence and interest in history and the historical novel! Here's proof-positive that Dennis Lehane is not just a terrific mystery writer, as if that's a slur, but a notable, epic writer as well.

You can read about him and his blockbusting best-seller to-be in the NY Times "The Arts" section September 18, 2008. He's on the first page with a glowing review by Janet Meslin. Also find an interview clip with Dennis Lehane on www.amazon.com by Harper-Collins

Invest the money, I guarantee you won't be sorry.

Shrimp-stuffed Fior di Zucca (Sqaush Blossoms)

Sept. 18th

Stuffed fior di zucca

I make these flowers many ways, but here’s an interesting recipe that isn’t fried, but rather baked. If you can’t find the squash blossoms, you can stuff halved-scooped out tomatoes, whole little zucchini, or mushrooms.

Ingredients:

20 fresh squash blossoms, washed and drained
½ lb of fresh ricotta
½ lb of cleaned, deveined, chopped shrimp
thyme
salt
pepper
olive oil
1 lb of Roma tomatoes, or garden tomatoes if you can’t get plum
basil leaves

Blend ricotta, shrimp, salt, pepper, thyme. Stuff each of the blossoms and place in a large Pyrex deep dish with a little coating of olive oil. Bake these on high heat (450) for 10 minutes.

In a little oil cook the washed, chopped tomatoes till they throw out their own liquid and it’s absorbed. Use a medium-high flame, season with a little salt. Use a hand-blender or toss the whole shebang into a blender and whip to a sauce.

Spoon out about three tablespoons per plate and two basil leaves. On top of the sauce lay out the beautifully baked stuffed flowers.

The official Roman way to make these flowers is stuffed with anchovies and mozzarella, battered and fried. One of may absolute all-time favorite spring/summer meals!

Chocolate Coverd Figs

Sept. 18th
Chocolate Coated Figs

In September, the figs are incredible in Italy. They split at their well-endowed bottoms and honey oozes out. We have nothing to compare here...

In order to boost their sweetness you can do a chocolate dip—the same as you do for strawberries. The only catch is, you have to skin them first. You can cheat and do that store-bought melty dip you place in the microwave, or you can go the baker’s route and do the double boil-boiler method. Whichever you choose, it’s worth the effort. Try it on your family first, and if you succeed, you’ll now have a sensational dessert in your entertaining repertoire.

Kadota figs and Mission figs are the ones I’ve found here in the US. These usually can be found mid-august till the beginning of October, the end of September to be sure. Try using these. If none are available, try using dried figs.

Then build a pyramid with them, the way you would for profiteroles, and in between, you can squeeze in here and there little stars of whipped cream and bits of lavender.

Cozze di latte: milk mussels

Sept. 17th

Ok here’s a darling, doozy of a recipe—called cozze di latte: literally “milk mussels,” but there’s no milk. It’s only because the color, or lack of it that makes it a “white” dish, meaning no red sauce or tomatoes, and that give it it’s misnomer “milk.”

I can only approximate the quantities, so you do the same.

Use a heavy sauce pan with high sides (terracotta will do nicely) some kind that can go into the oven, like Pyrex.

Ingredients

Bread crumbs
Butter
Olive oil
Spaghetti (about a lb)
Potato (1 large)
Onion (1 large)
Mussels (about 2 lbs)
Juice from mussels
Some white wine (1/2 glass)
Hot pepper, if desired
Garlic
Parsley
Grated Parmigiano


Cook one lb of spaghetti in salted water to very underdone that’s harder than “al dente” (because this will be baked in the oven)

Cook 2 lbs of cleaned and washed mussels in a little water, olive oil, hot pepper, garlic, and a ½ glass of white wine. They will “kick out” their own juice. Reserve the juice , toss out the hop pepper and garlic, and halve the mussels

Wilt one large onion cut into rounds in butter and oil

At least one large yellow potato, thinly sliced. Keep in iced water so it won’t turn color until ready to use.


1. In a big oven-proof pot with high sides:

2. Fill bottom with a light covering of olive oil

3. Next place in a lb of cooked spaghetti

4. Layer the large, wilted onion rounds (butter and oil) on the pasta

5. On top of that put a covering of very thin cut rounds of potato

6. Next place over potatoes, the halved, cooked mussels

7. Sprinkle mussels with Italian rice for risotto and finely chopped parsley

Repeat layers from #5 till you end up with a layer of potatoes

Sprinkle generously with bread crumb, miserly with grated Parmigiano (as in not too much) and parsley, some flecks of butter and a hit of olive oil—don’t drown it! And no need for salt as the mussel juice will provide it.

Take the reserved liquid and pour around the circumference of the pot all the way up to the top layer. Cover tightly and bake in the oven for at least 45 minutes or until the rice and potatoes are done. Remove cover for the last 5 minutes of cooking and “brown” the topping, or pop it under the broiler

Serve one large spoonful (directly from pot) onto each plate…your taste buds will die and go on to Elysium and there, pray for the remaining souls on earth who have never eaten this delicacy.

Any questions, post a comment…complaints, cook hot dogs.

PS to the Rai recipes...

P. S.

I don't know why my spacings changed and I couldn't fix them in the recipes from La Rai. It looks like I never learned what a paragraph is or how to indent...Sister Mary Agnes, Sister Salvia, Sister Mary de Lourdes, Sister Margaret Mary, and all the good nuns of Notre Dame Academy in Staten Island must be rolling over in their graves!

Farfalle, peas and mozzarella salad

Robbed from La Rai-TV this morning, September 16th!

This morning I "stole," but changed to suit La Nina’s style of cookery, two lovely recipes from La Rai—our Italian TV station that comes to us via satellite—Heaven forbid we miss una partitia di calcio! (a game of soccer), or the program Porta a Porta.

Recipe #1
Insalata di Farfalle (salad of bows in English, but the literal translation is "butterflies")

Ingredients:

1 lb of faralle (bows) sometimes you can find them tri-colored—use these if you have them because the color lends itself to a more appetizing look
1 lb of mozzarella
1 cup or more halved or quatered tomatoes
1 lb of cooked frozen peas
4-5 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 to 1 cup of basil
salt, pepper, garlic powder

Cook 1 lb of farfalle in salted water, drain tight and add 4-5 tablespoons oil beaten with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Add 1 cup to overflowing of cut up small tomatoes—Roma, or grape or anything you like
or have handy

Add 1 lb of fat diced mozzarella di buffalo (if you don’t have this—at least fresh
mozzarella.

Add the cooked, drained frozen peas

Mix well and add chopped basil—as much as you like.

Taste, if you must, and adjust for seasoning…this last part, I never do. I’ve never tasted
anything I prepare…a habit from when I was a kid, I guess. neither did my Nonna.

Mix well and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Serve at room temperature or cold from the fridge if you live in Florida.

Recipe # 2
Tortellone repieni di verdure
Tortellone filled with vegetables

For the tortellone:

3/4 lb of flour
take a handful out to save for rolling out.
make a well
add 3 hefty teaspoons of tomato paste
beat in 4 eggs with a fork as you pull in the flour around the well
set aside

Cook 2 large potatoes in their skins: cool, peel and mash

Cook 1 lb of Swiss chard mixed with rughetta (arugula) in boiling water

Remove greens when still very green and a little undercooked, drain and
chop fine

Add mashed potato, 1 beaten egg, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and
a fistful of grated Parmigiano. (Never stint.)

Roll out the dough into one huge circle. Cut into wide, long strips of about 3 inches
and re-cut to finish pattern of big squares

Add 1 chunky teaspoon or 1 skinny tablespoon of the filling mix into each square

Then form a triangle, pressing around so the filling doesn’t eke out. In the back, secure
edges—one inside the other if possible, or squeezed tightly together. Make sure
there is space between the fat part of the tortellone and the closure at back so the
water flows though when you boil it. Basically the finished product should look
like a tri-cornered hat worn during the War of Independence. Got it?

Boil in abundant water, lightly salted, then drain and put approximately 4-5 on each plate

While the pasta is cooking, melt ¼ to ½ pound of butter—watch out it doesn’t burn!
Drizzle some melted butter onto each tortellone, and bless the plate with a hearty helping of grated Parmigiano and a leaf or two of sage. Serve immediately.

On your table you should have a pepper mill for those who wish to add coarse ground pepper, and a dish of grated cheese for those who like to overindulge in sheer goodness.

You can also substitute this recipe with spinach, but the rughetta gives it a bit of a bite, especially if its harvested wild. So if you don't have that, try mixing the spinach with fresh mint

Grazie mille, Rai-TV

Pepperoni pesto sauce (with cream)

Sept. 15
Pepperoni pesto sauce (with cream)

This is a La Nina special, invented because I love peppers and I love heavy cream! and one summer day about 17 years ago, I bought about 10 lbs of peppers on sale at a little local market. I roasted some, I fired some and I had 4 leftover!

Forgive me if this is a repeat recipe, but I went back through the older posts and couldn't find it. I made this dish last night and probably changed it anyway...so here goes the latest, last night's version of pepperoni pesto with cream sauce will go with any short pasta. I like to use penne, shells, farfalle…but any one will do. This recipe serves 6.

4 large red peppers minced
1 large onion minced
2 cloves of garlic minced
salt and hot pepper to taste

Cook the above on a medium/hot flame in 3 tablespoons of oil and 1/4 lb of butter. The "water" (liquid) will kick out. When the peppers, onions and garlic mixture is dry, add a glass of white wine. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio marry well with this dish.

Cook on high flame till the alcohol burns out. Add 1/2 quart of heavy whipping cream (this is not a dietetic as you can see) Stir until it thickens.

Fling in the cooked pasta and add 3 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano—not more, it is simply to amalgamate the whole dish, not to kill the taste! If no hot pepper was added, serve with coarse ground black pepper.

This is a lovely, but rich dish. For 6 people use about 1 ½ lbs of pasta. Don't drain the pasta tight. Reserve a 1/2 cup of the pasta water, just in case it’s too thick, or to add to some that’s left over to save in the fridge for a day or two later. Heats up great in the microwave—covered. About 2 & 1/2 minutes!

Serve with either a lovely spinach, mixed green or Boston or butter leaf lettuce salad.
Go easy on the condiments e buon appetito!

Answer to Auntiemwrites' question

On 9/11/08, auntiemwrites wrote:
auntiemwrites has left a new comment on your post "Home from the road trip WEST":

Sounds like you crammed a ton into your time~what was your favorite meal?

Lucky 7 Steak House in Cheyenne, WY makes a huge (16 oz), perfectly cooked (medium-rare) and well-presented prime rib with au jus and a side of horseradish...I ordered a side of grilled onions besides, a baked potato with sour cream and chives. This dinner came with a cup of soup, dinner rolls, a mixed salad (I chose a delicious, creamy blue cheese dressing) and rice pudding for dessert--all for $17 and change...you can't beat that anywhere.

Felipe selected a luscious Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine not included in price...cela va sans dire. I only ate the broth of the soup, a few bites of the potato and didn't smother the salad with the dressing, but rather kept it on the side and dunked my fork in it! Left almost all the center of the cut--because I love the tail best...who doesn't? the rest FR ate and cut up all the leftovers into bit size pieces for Cyrus, our friends' dog.

Home from the road trip WEST

Sept. 11th.
The commemoration day of the terrible loss of lives in the Twin Towers.

Home from our wanderings WEST!

We just got home last night from a road trip out west, which was truly incredible. We were on the road 9 days. We toured the Yellowstone National Forest, the Tetons, the Shoshone National Park with breathtaking views, and took the Beartooth Highway through WY to Red Lodge, Montana--also did the Chief Joseph Highway. All gorgeous and scenic with the added beauty of snow on top of Shoshone, which made it hazardous and difficult for our driver, Felipe to see, so the next day when it was sunny and clear, we took a two hour detour to drive through it again! What beautiful country we have!!! and thank God some of it was saved as a national treasure for all to see.

We visited Cody, WY, and the Buffalo Bill Historic Center which houses 5 museums--we saw all of them! Buffalo Bill and the Plains Indians were the two I enjoyed the most.

Also saw Devil's Tower--a natural phenomenon, which was in the movie, Close Encounters of a Thrid Kind. We stayed in Keystone, WY, and allows me to saw that South Dakota's Black hills are nothing short of stupendous. There we took in Mt. Rushmore, a magnificent feat. We went back in the evening and the Big Dipper shone brightly straight above. It was a highly emotional and beautiful lighting ceremony. The Vets in the audience were invited to go up on stage afterwards to take down the flag and each of them gave their name and where they had been stationed or seen action on foreign soil.

The next day we saw the Crazy Horse Memorial in Custer State Park--still in construction which will be larger than Mt. Rushmore--they aren't taking any money from Washington. The government took Indian lands and broke all promises but one: the promise to take their lands, offered 10 million dollars years ago when the project got underway in 1948. Now I wonder why they refused??? Still nowhere near completion, but it will be larger than Mt. Rushmore, with Crazy Horse pointing to his lands, "where my people are buried." Most impressive.

Stopped in Cheyenne just overnight so we have to go back and sight-see and also missed Ft. Laramie. But in a week's time, we sure saw and did a lot.

Took a kazillion photographs, but still don't know how to put them on the computer...

Will write more about the trip in days to come with a mention of the foods we ate as well! and before we head to Florida for FR and Nico's birthdays, and dear friend Rita's 80th!!! all at the beginning of October.