An Afternoon Out at the Farm

Last Saturday I got to thinking that before long it will be hot and humid.  The mosquitoes would be attacking and summer would be on.  We'd better enjoy the nice weather while we could.  I loaded up my smoker and all the accoutrements for a picnic and headed to Oberlin.  Dad and Mom agreed to meet Tricia, me and Benjamin at the farm on the old homeplace.  We got the smoker going and we sat out in lawn chairs and visited.  The weather was nice, but it was a little windy. 

The menu for the day was smoked meatloaf, smoked macaroni 'n cheese, and salad with strawberries and walnuts.  Here is the meatloaf right when it is going on the smoker.

I must admit, we were ready to eat when it came off so I didn't get an 'after' shot.  However, I've linked the recipe from a previous post in 2021:  Recipe for smoked meatloaf  I like it.

The old live oak tree could tell a lot of stories I'm sure.  I remember 50 years ago climbing up in its branches covered in resurrection fern.  It was huge back then.  No telling how old it is.  It has had a big hole in the middle of it for as long as I can remember.  When I was younger, we watched a mama red fox raise her babies in the hole of the live oak.

Right behind the old oak was where the old homeplace was.  That's where my grandpa was raised.  There was a water well off to the side of the house and a big persimmon tree that made big orange persimmons we'd eat.

Here is the macaroni and cheese about to go in the smoker.  The mac 'n cheese only needs to go on the smoker for an hour or so.

Here it is coming out of the smoker.  Delicious!  We gobbled it down. 

With everything off the smoker, it was time to eat.  Dad moved his truck to block off the wind and we set up the table right next to it and began to eat.

We visited until the sun went down.  By then the smoker had cooled down and we could load it in the back of the car and drive back to Jennings.  What a peaceful, relaxing, and enjoyable day spent with people you love and good food.