MrsDrPoe: Noah's Ark

Since we painted virtually the entire house immediately after we bought it (and almost every room is a neutral color), we decided that we were tired of painting.  Our new girl would have a tan room with a Noah's Ark theme because that would be easy, fun, and based on the Bible.  To help decorate the walls, I asked my grandmother to paint some animals two-by-two for the room, and here's what she came up with:

camels, elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes, and doves (they're out of the picture).  How fun!  And they look so real!  The room is slowly coming together...yesterday I even put on the lovely Noah's Ark sheets that the Barclays gave us. 

MrsDrPoe: A Housewarming Gift

Spring is in the air, and to celebrate, my grandparents got us the perfect housewarming gift:

a home for our birdies!  I know just the tree I want to hang it on too!

MrsDrPoe: Corn Fritters

Today's What's for Dinner post could actually be an appetizer or side dish: Grandmama Wolgemuth's corn fritters. When I visited the great state of PA a few weeks ago, my uncle mentioned these in passing, and I knew I needed to get the recipe because 1) everything my grandmother makes is superb and 2) Papa Poe loved the corn fritters we ate in Gatlinburg last year. So without further ado...


Ingredients: 2 large ears of corn (as dry as possible), 1 egg, 0-4 tablespoons of flour, and oil for frying (not pictured).


Remove the corn from the cob by grating each ear; you should have approximately one cup of corn when you finish.


Beat the egg in a small bowl, and add the corn. If the corn wasn't very dry, add a few teaspoons of batter to stiffen the mixture slightly; the drier the corn, the less flour that you need to add. Drop by spoonfuls into hot oil.


After a minute or so, flip the fritters. After the fritters are cooked through and golden brown, remove them from the oil and let them drain on a papertowel. Serve with ketchup or maple syrup (Papa Wolgemuth's and my favorite fritter-dip).


Notes: This recipe (which makes about 10 half-dollar sized fritters) is not exact; try to stick to the 1 egg to 1 cup corn ratio and to add as little flour as possible when trying to obtain the thicker consistency that holds together when dropped into the oil. To dry my corn, I leave shucked ears in the refrigerator (uncovered) for several days. In the future I'd like to try this recipe with other produce (apples, etc.); I'll be sure to post my results!

MrsDrPoe: The Wolgemuths

For this week's edition of Poes' Pals, I'm cheating again. Meet my grandparents...the Wolgemuths.

The Wolgemuths are amazing people. Grandpapa (or Dr.) Wolgemuth is a fantastic engineer and professor; he has a list of accolades as long as I am tall. I have a great deal of respect for my grandfather; he is my inspiration for my chosen degree and profession, and he has always been there to help me better understand any articles or subject matter if I have issues. Grandmama Wolgemuth is a wonderful wife and mother. She made clothes for her kids when they were young; she volunteers, knits, cooks, cleans, gardens, cans...and the list goes on and on. I have a so much respect for her as well; she is a great role model.

Just about every time I visit Grandpapa and Grandmama Wolgemuth I learn something new. Their current projects include the summer gardening and "grooming" their forest; when they have time, my grandfather turns wood while my grandmother creates beautiful watercolor masterpieces:


I am so happy that I have been able to be around and learn from the Wolgemuths, and I hope that I can be for my grandkids what they were to me and my siblings!