Cats...ya gotta love em.....

Well Sir...these are a differant kinda cat frum the greedy, bastardly Fat-Cats mentioned in the previous post (great seg-way huh...)....

Corporate Fat-Cats get fatter off war...won't help Vets.. please help on yur blogs.

Yupper...it's the same post as yesterday...but since I got very little response....thought I'd try a differant heading.....

Well Sir.....I was visitin the blogs in my blog-roll when I ran across two worthy projects and articles...both of which could use some public exposure...as you'll see.

I was over seein my friend Bonnie at her blog Simply Bonnie and here's what I discovered....

...Bonnie is gonna be payin a visit to Germany here in the very near future...and her reason fer the trip is to visit with disabled and injured military personnel from the war in Iraq. One a the things she'd like to do is bring along as many letters and E-mails from folks back home here who are grateful to these fine young men and women and the sacrifice(s) they have made for our country and the Iraqi people.....

...so...I'd like as many folks as possible who are readin this to take a moment or two and write a nice encouraging letter or E-mail expressin yur gratitude for thier bravery and dedication.....


Y'all can send yur letters to Letters4Germany@aol.com and many thanks ya frum this here Cookie...and especially to Missie Bonnie fer her fine efforts to make a wounded warrior feel better.......

Now Sir....bein a Disabled Veteran myself...the next thing I read admittedly got me a might angry...as it will you...but...as you'll see...it could possibly be a real misunderstanding or a breakdown in communications in the various corporations mentioned...but either way...if'n ya can see yur way clear....and you agree with the author and me....post this story on yur blogsites and lets get both some answers and some response.....I surely would be appreciatin yur effort. Now I gotta warn y'all....one of the picture's below is real graphic...so BE WARNED....

Now mam...I found this worthwhile project...Project Phoenix...and the associated post written by Bill Faith over on Old War Dogs. It seems that a whole passel of large corporations and their CEO's that are makin some pretty good bucks off a this here war in Iraq...won't help our wounded and disabled vets t'get back on their feet (metaphorically speakin) and put their lives back together....well...you read the article and decide fer yurselves...

"Recently at the Army's annual Force Protection Conference I had the honor of speaking with a soldier who earned my immediate respect and admiration for the unique way in which he is continuing to serve his nation's needs long after retiring from active duty. This soldier, COL Michael J. Wagner, USAR, Ret, PhD, has been working at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for three years in a program to provide assistance to warriors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan bearing wounds of war, both physical and psychological.


Dr. Wagner's experiences there have convinced him and many others involved in caring for these veterans that these wounds of war affect not just the warriors but their families as well, and by extension their home communities. As Dr. Wagner put it to me,

"When a soldier goes to war, the family goes to war; when a soldier is wounded, the family is wounded and the community is wounded."

An ex-paratrooper of the '70's, Dr. Wagner is keenly aware of the many problems so many veterans of our war encountered in their reintegration into their communities. He is determined that America will not fail our current warriors as it did those of that earlier era.


The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, already faced with budget constraints and mission limits, are ill equipped to deal with this societal mission creep. Recognizing that reality, Dr. Wagner and other concerned citizens and professionals have formed an organization called MVFA, Military Veteran and Family Assistance, www.mvfa.org to take up this slack by providing needed services in a family based program that seeks to combine the support and resources of community, corporate, military and government agencies.


One program, the aptly named Phoenix Project, provides community-based retreats for warriors and their families. In tranquil, pastoral settings such as the Heart of the Hills Camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country, soldiers and spouses spend a week relaxing with such activities as hiking, fishing, canoeing, riding horses, or if they choose, just lounging around. But there are also group sessions where couples can freely discuss the problems they face and learn how others just like them are coping with similar difficulties.


But MVFA has encountered a problem not anticipated in its formative stages. Thinking that the huge military contracting corporations who take in hundreds of billions of dollars from manufacturing every conceivable item our warriors take into combat and use to fight on our nation's behalf, the organization sent letters soliciting contributions to support their unique programs to all the leading American defense contractors. To his utter astonishment, Dr. Wagner received refusal after refusal, some with explanations that such programs do not fit within the guidelines of their gifting programs. When he related this amazing situation to me, I was as astonished as the doctor and quickly remarked that if these veterans and their families were dealing with AIDS or sexual identity issues, contributions would be rolling in. Sure enough, according to the good doctor, that is exactly the response MVFA received from IBM, which has lucrative contracts with our military: "Sorry, AIDS research is our priority."

May I suggest to the CEO's of IBM and EDS, United Technologies, and Raytheon, who also are on record as refusing to support these wounded warrior programs that perhaps you should reconsider your corporate "gifting" guidelines to reflect that you have at least as much concern for those harmed in the application of your weapons systems as you do for gender-challenged San Franciscans seeking funding for those ever so essential sex-change operations. Somehow, I think that most American voters and taxpayers, and their elected representatives wouldn't mind a moderate redirection of corporate gifting away from pet programs like providing safe sex warning posters for gay bathhouses and healthy nutrition programs for inner city crack junkies, to something a little more mainstream America; like, hey, assistance programs for wounded American warriors.


What say you CEO's of Lockheed-Martin, Northrop-Grumman, General Dynamics, Boeing, ITT Industries, and all the rest of you titans of the defense industry? How about you Michael Dell? Everywhere I travel to military installations in my little consulting business, I see Dell computers. Surely out of the hundreds of millions in revenue generated by those computer sales you should be able to shake loose with a million or so for the troops who come to harm while using them. You know, gentlemen, it suddenly occurred to me that, offhand, I simply can't recall the last time I heard of an AIDS infected, trans-gendered, crack head buying a multi-billion dollar computer or weapons system. Can any of you guys?

Actually, I'm willing to be more charitable than these corporations apparently are, by giving their CEO's the benefit of the doubt that these refusals don't come from the top but from some tunnel-visioned, third-tiered functionaries far down the corporate ladder.

At least for now I am.

Russ Vaughn
Vietnam 65-66"


So mates...if'n ya can see yur way clear to give an extra paragraph or two to these stories and the fine projects discussed...please do....I know this here Cookie would very much appreciate it...as I know that Disabled Vet's throughout the country would.....

May God Bless Y'all.....and take care.....Cookie.....

Some Food....some funny....

Well Sir....not feelin that well yet...and also bein somewhat lazy by nature...here's an article I wrote fer the magazine I write fer..New York Fish & Game Magazine....

The Camp Cook.

If'n you’re like me, your supply of Venison steaks is growing smaller, if not almost depleted, and its time to start using the Venison stew cuts you’ve kept in reserve. There will be some cold, early Fall days ahead when a hearty Venison Stew or Stroganoff, served over cooked noodles or mashed potatoes will be just the ticket. You can use any of three cooking methods for your Stew; Slow Cooked in a slow cooker (7 to 8 hours), the standard Long Simmered process (2 ½ to 3 ½ hours), or Pressure Cooked (I prefer this method as it is shorter and really tenderizes the meat).

NOTE: For BOTH of these recipes, or any cooking method you choose,
do the following FIRST. Rub the venison cuts with Kosher Salt and
pepper. In 2-3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil,
brown the meat over high heat until browned on all sides (3-4 minutes).
If'n yur smoke detector goes off...yur doin it right.
Remove meat with a slotted spoon and temporarily set aside. Save
any drippings.

VENISON STEW (Slow Simmer)

2 ½ -4 lbs Venison stew cuts (cubes), Kosher Salt to taste
3 Large Onions, sliced, Pepper to taste
2 sliced carrots 1 heaping TBSP Brown Sugar
2 celery stalks, sliced 1 Green Pepper, coarsely chopped
Water to cover 1 clove of minced Garlic
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 heaping TBLSP of “Better Than Bouillon, Beef Base™”

After you have browned and set aside your venison as described in the above NOTE, in the remaining drippings (add a little more oil if necessary), saute’ the onions, chopped green pepper and garlic until soft.

Add the meat back to the pot or Dutch Oven along with all the remaining ingredients. Cover with water. Stir all the ingredients to make sure the “Better than Bouillon Beef Base™” and the Brown sugar dissolves thoroughly throughout the stew. Partially cover and bring stew to a boil, lower heat to low and simmer for 2-2 ½ hours or until meat is tender.

To thicken your stew, mix 1 tablespoon of corn starch with 1 or 2 tablespoons of water and add to stew. Stir until thickened. Serve over your choice of cooked noodles, mashed potatoes, hot opened Biscuits or Dumplings. Serves 6 to 8.

** This same recipe can be done in a Pressure Cooker, however, your cooking times will be shorter and the vegetables will be added at a later time in the cooking process. See your pressure cooker directions for times**

VENISON STROGANOFF

2 lbs Venison Stew cuts (1 inch cubes) 1 large Onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced 4 Tablespoons butter (split)
1½ -2 cups of Sour Cream 2 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste
4 Tablespoons flour
2 7 oz cans of sliced mushrooms (drained),
2 cans of Condensed Beef Broth or
2 teaspoons of “Better than Bouillon Beef Base™” mixed with 2 cups of
hot water.

After you’ve browned and set aside the Venison cuts from your pot or deep skillet as described in the above NOTE, lower the heat to medium low and add 2 tablespoons of butter to the dripping.

When the butter has melted, add the drained mushrooms, chopped onions and minced garlic and cook 3-5 minutes or until onions are crisp/tender. Remove mushrooms and onions with a slotted spoon and set aside into the same bowl with the browned Venison cuts.

To the drippings, add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and when melted, blend in the flour. Add the tomato paste and beef broth, stirring constantly over medium high heat until mixture thickens.

Return the browned Venison, mushrooms and onions to the pot or skillet and simmer on low-medium heat for 5 minutes. Blend in the Sour Cream and, being careful not to boil, cook slowly on low heat until thoroughly heated through. Serve over buttered cooked noodles. If desired, sprinkle some garlic powder (to taste) on the buttered noodles first. Makes 6-8 servings.

Now Sir....If'n yur kinda funny about eatin and enjoyin Wild Game...here's my philosophy.....





...and here's some other mouth-waterin wild stuff....

An early Oktoberfest menu.....

Well Sir...I'm not quite up t'snuff yet...but in a week or so I'll be preparin the below recipe's fer some friends who are comin over...so's...I thought I would share these with y'all......

Knockwurst in beer/wine with kraut
Yield: 3 Servings

6 Knockwurst
3 cups Sauerkraut, rinsed & drained
1 Apple, peeled,cored, chopped
1 ts Caraway seeds
1 ts Sugar
1 cup or can beer; your choise or 1 cup White wine, instead of beer

Combine all ingredients. Cover tightly in a large skillet. Simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes and serve. Can also be prepared in a crockpot, which is done most of the time. Ham hocks can be used/added also. just strip most of the fat off. Serve with mashed potatoes or Latka's (recipe' below). In crockpot it's about 6 hrs cooking, but much better.


LATKA’S (German Potato Pancakes)
By Cookie - The Camp Cook

Ingredients:

4 Potatoes
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 ½ teaspoons Lemon Juice
2 Large Eggs
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ Cup Matzo meal ( or as needed)
Peanut Oil

Grate the potatoes and blend together with the finely chopped onion. Add the Lemon Juice and toss the mixture. This will prevent the mixture from turning brown.

Place the mixture in a strainer and squeeze out the excess liquid.

Add all the remaining ingredients, EXCEPT THE OIL. Mix well.

Heat ½ to 1 inch of oil in a deep frying pan or 10 quart Outside deep fryer. Using a large spoon or serving spoon, drop level spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil (CAREFULLY). When the pancake(s) turn a light golden brown (underneath), turn the pancake and continue frying until the entire pancake is a full golden brown.

Makes approximately 10 pancakes.

Goes great with just about any meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner.


ENJOY !!!