Antique Trophies

Posted on February 19, 2019 by AlligatorHall

If you’re lucky, you’ve got a few old trophies around: great grand-somebody’s golfing trophy or dog show trophy or crew or whatever. Do you have any idea what it’s worth? It’s well worth taking a look…just poking around on ebay revealed that a trophy of good quality and in good condition can bring thousands of dollars, even more.

Quite frankly, I just like them. I like they way they look — the loving cups (the two handled trophy) are the most common. Look for hand-engraved inscriptions (you’ll know it’s hand engraved because it’s more pronounced — deeper into the silver): hand engraved appears darker than machine engraved.

But if you’re sentimental, or just plain like the way it looks and want to keep it, then for crying out loud — put it out! If you’re able to find one in a junk shop, take a look at the bottom to see if it’s plate or sterling. Either way, it’ll be fun to have — but plate versus silver will certainly impact the price.

I have a friend who has an entire collection of antique trophies. She started with just two of her grandfather’s dog trial trophies. It grew significantly from there, largely by her poking around antique shops and looking for tarnished forgotten treasures in dusty corners. She just had it appraised…now that performance is worth a trophy and a half!

5 Good Reasons to Love Cast Iron

Posted on February 19, 2019 by AlligatorHall

On a camping trip last week, I was the joke of the entire group because I hiked miles into our campsite carrying a cast iron skillet. Funny, yea, sure, until dinnertime rolled around…and then breakfast…then who got the last laugh as we enjoyed steaks, potatoes, and then bacon and pancakes over an open fire.

Iron cookware has been around since long before there were chuckwagons tended by “Cooky”…but today, they’re as relevant in the kitchen as ever. In fact, they’re more modern and healthy and wonderful than ever. Here are four good reasons that cast iron cookware is a must in our modern kitchen.

Your good old cast iron skillet. This one is made by Lodge.

1. It’ll last forever. What else is there to say? Just look at how long its been around!

2. Consistent heat. Heavy as it is, cast iron conducts heat better than anything else. So if you’re looking for a consistent heat across the entire pan, cast iron is it.

3. Oven to stove to oven to stove! As effective in the oven as it is on the stove, cast iron works just as well whether you’re asking it to bake, broil, roast, saute, fry and more.

Le Creuset’s Dutch Oven. This is cast iron with enamel. A favorite around here.

4. It’s Healthy! Well seasoned cast iron cookware needs far less oil to give you that wonderful crispy brown chicken, fish, potato, pancake, etc. As a result, of course this means healthier food. So the key is knowing how to season a pan. There are a variety of expert ways to do this. Here’s how I learned to do it from my dad — works great!

Cover the bottom of the pan with a thick layer of kosher salt and about a half inch of cooking oil (canola, vegetable, even light olive oil) then heat until the oil starts to smoke. Now pour the salt and oil into a bowl, then use a ball of paper towels to rub the inside of the pan until it is smooth. A well seasoned pan is shiny and smooth. If it begins to look rusty or rough, it’s time to season it again.

Cast iron dutch oven made by Bayou Classic.

5. No Chemical “Non-stick” Stuff. Did I mention that it’s healthy? Why use any chemical anything if you’ve got a winner? Here’s another great thing about cast iron — you can scrape it all you want and you don’t have to worry about coating scratching off and into your food.

To clean cast iron, don’t use dish soap! Just scrub it with a brush or sponge, rinse it well, and dry it completely. Done! (Another reason I took it camping: no soap needed for washing the big dish!)

If you’ve got a real mess on your hands with the skillet — something burned on it and it’s cooked on pretty well, don’t worry. It’s a cinch to clean: put hot water in it enough to cover the entire bottom of the pan, and then let it simmer for a moment. The problem stuff will come right up now with a spatula.

Wild Turkey and Romano Ravioli

Posted on February 19, 2019 by AlligatorHall

Small (but significant!) miscalculation…back to back kids soccer games took longer than I had planned, so I overcooked the wild turkey (that I thought I was being so smart to roast while I was out. Oops. Don’t tell my brother who, with great pride, gave the turkey to me…)

Soooo, this turkey was what wild turkey is often cracked up to be: dry. Not sawdust, but dry. Which gave me the opportunity to try something I probably wouldn’t have: mix it with some fun stuff and make it kid friendly. Well let me tell you, we’ll be having this on a regular basis now! Everybody LOVED it (especially the kids!) and my boys had a ball making it with me. Win win!

Ingredients

1 cup cooked wild turkey breast
½ cup Romano cheese (finely grated)
8 oz (2 cups) shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 egg
2 T fresh basil (chopped)
1 t ground black pepper
3 T olive oil — or stock (chicken or turkey)
1 package of Wonton Wrappers
1 jar marinara sauce

Directions

Put a large pot of water on to boil. When you cook your ravioli, you want to ensure the raviolis have plenty of space or they’ll stick together… (and the kids will be mad at you for messing up their work – in other words, if you put the ravioli in too small a saucepan, you’ll see what your kids are going to be like in their teenage “moments”. This is best avoided for as long as possible.)

To make the filling:

Chop your wild turkey in a food processor until it’s a coarse consistency. In large bowl, combine turkey, Romano and Mozzarella cheeses, egg, basil, and pepper. Mix well. Add olive oil one tablespoon at a time until the filling sticks together like a paste. Now recruit the kids to help.

To make the ravioli:

Pull out your wonton wrappers one at a time (keeping the others covered so they won’t dry out), and put about 1 heaping teaspoon of filling in the middle of each wrapper.

Use a raw beaten egg as your glue to seal the wontons. Using your index finger (or even better, your kid’s) dip it into the egg and rub it around the outside four edges of the wonton wrapper. Now fold the wrapper in half to form a triangle and press the edges together. The glue will work like a charm! Then set the finished ravioli on a plate under a damp paper towel and continue.

Boil in small batches (remember! Too many in a pot will make them stick together) of about 6-8 for about 3 minutes (until the filling is warm and the wrappers are cooked). Remove with a slotted spoon and place 3-4 per plate. Serve with warm marinara sauce or just plain with a little Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Choosing the Right Puppy

Posted on May 14, 2018 by AlligatorHall

Here’s a post out of the archives that’s relevant at any time of the year!

If you’re thinking about getting a new pup, now is a great time to start your process. If you can pull it off, you’re perfectly set to have your new puppy just in time for the summer when, the pup can have plenty of time with you and your family. Just plain face time is absolutely necessary in creating that bond you’ll enjoy your pup’s whole life.

But before you run out and snatch up the first cute little writhing, licking, wagging ball of energy you see, read this post carefully. You need to be extra thoughtful as you make your choice — it’s easy to get drawn in by cuteness…and cuteness grows up. You need to know what you’re getting.

I did a show some years back for the Outdoor Life Network where we followed a guy who wanted a puppy and decided to start from scratch on breed, color, lineage, the works. He had no idea of what he wanted, so we went to the famous bird dog expert, Mr. Delmar Smith of Oklahoma. Delmar has long been considered to be one of the all-time greats in the history of bird dog training and breeding and it was an honor to talk with him. In the interview about choosing a puppy, he laid it on the line: “If you want a puppy, don’t ever look at puppies! Look at the mama and the daddy.” His words verbatim.

(Geez Louise. That’s precisely what my grandmother used to say to my brothers about choosing a wife … “so she’s cute now. Hot, even. But look at her mom – if mama’s mean, nutty, neurotic, crazy, or a combination of all of that – your cutie might just turn into her.” Hey, lighten up – I didn’t say it, my grandmother did. But I have to admit, but there’s something to it…)

So Delmar Smith was tough when it came to puppies. Truth is, if you look at any pup, you’ll want it; but it might be the wrong dog for you. (Take a look at the cute puppies in the two above pictures: $1500 Whippets…but they sure don’t look like Whippets at this stage! And do you want a Whippet or a Shepherd or a Lab?) Lets take this a step further: let’s say you know what breed you want and even the price is right for the litter you found in the newspaper. Now you load the kids up, head to the address and there are the puppies – fuzzy, cute, cheerful…OK, that one does have a little white spot on his chest (even though they’re supposedly black labs). Now your kids are crying because they want the little one with the white spot on his chest…stop the presses! Didn’t you listen to Delmar Smith? Don’t look at the puppies. Ask to see the mother.

There she is. Timid (not good if you want a confident dog – often the pups will take on her personality traits). A long pointy snout. (Hmmm.) A hooked tail (the wrong way….Oh my. Not exactly like a lab…) WAKE UP! You could end up with a white-spotted, pointy-snouted, hooked-tailed, timid house dog. (Oh, you wanted her for hunting. Yea, right.)

If you want a puppy, make out a checklist. Ask these questions:

FIRST AND FOREMOST: Am I and ALL of my family OK with a dog that sheds? (THIS alone could narrow your search tremendously)
do I want a pet or a hunting companion
If I want a hunter, do I want pointing or retrieving
do I want house dog/hunter, or a full-on hunter (who might not care about inside)
do I want a KIDS dog
do I have lots of room for a hyper dog, or do I need a laid back type
I’m in the city, which dogs do well as city dogs?

Now go look for parent dogs that meet your criterion. When you’ve found the perfect parents, chances are, you’ve found the perfect pup.

How to Make a Sock Pony

Posted on May 12, 2018 by AlligatorHall

Here’s a present that’s timeless — and remarkably easy to do.

Several years ago, I decided to replicate the sock pony I had as a little girl — only I don’t have the pony any more, so I had to go on memory. My sock pony was a labor of love by my godmother who was an expert with a needle and thread. So when I decided to launch my labor of love (I was heading into making four of them), I had to come to grips with one thing: I, in fact, am NOT an expert with a needle and thread. My point in telling you this is simple — if I can do it, you can too.

So let’s go!

Here’s what you’ll need.

– 1 pair of cotton/wool blend socks (cotton is easier to work with than 100% wool)

– brown felt (for the eyes and nostrils)

– thin “furry” (almost like moleskin) fabric for the ears. This needs to have a little substance to it because they need to “stand up” like horse ears

– brown ribbon (preferably with white stitching) for the bridle

– 10 inches of frilly black ribbon for his mane

– 2 black shiny buttons (for the eyes)

– about 6 inches of narrow red ribbon (for his mouth)

– about 2 feet of woven cord (for the reins)

– spun polyester fill (to stuff the sock)

– about 5 inches of thick vinyl tape (I used a cheap old belt from Goodwill. This is to close the bottom of the sock and to attach it to the broomstick)

– about 12 upholstery tacks

– one old broomstick

So here’s what you do. I stuffed the sock so I knew where to glue the nostrils and background for his eyes. Then glue the nostrils and eyes in place.

While the glue dries (it won’t take but a few minutes with the glue gun), sew his mouth on, then his button eyes.

Sew his mane down his neck (make sure you start where it’ll be between his ears and not behind them! You don’t need a horse with a receding hairline.)

Here’s the hard part: sew his ears on. What I did was fold the material over on itself, then formed a cone shape out of it and sewed it on, tucking the edges under to keep the ears up.

Now sew his bridle on. I just did a tight x stitch at the key points on the bridle, the rest I left alone. So drape the ribbon over his head and stitch at each temple (just under the ears) and then at his bit Then do another loop around his nose and stitch where the ribbon passes under the sides already in place. Now tie a little knot in the end of each end of your cord for the reins, then sew the knot onto the bridle at the top of his mouth. (Those knots are his bit!)

It’s time for his broomstick! Using the vinyl tape, close the end of the sock onto the broomstick (be sure the end of the broomstick goes all the way up to between his ears) and tack the tape in place all the way around the broomstick.

Now he needs reins. Just make sure you measure carefully. To do this, drape the cord over the back of his head resting on the broomstick where you’d like it to hang normally. Cut and knot the ends, and stitch them to ends of his mouth.

You go, cowpoke! You’ve just made a sock pony!

Alligator Hall’s own Peach Chutney

Posted on May 12, 2018 by AlligatorHall

It’s nearly peach season!

Here’s to the chutney that won the most discerning palate…

I have the most amazing uncle. Aside from being a Navy test pilot, one of the pilots known as “Satan’s Kittens” in Korea (this group went on to become the Blue Angels), a survivor of being catapulted from an aircraft carrier into the North Atlantic in his airplane, and then a commercial fisherman in the Pacific northwest, Uncle Pete also is a chutney expert. He’s traveled all over the world — and always comes home with interesting recipes for relishes and chutneys.

There’s only one problem with having Uncle Pete come to visit: he cleans me out of chutney. This I take as the greatest compliment there is — especially from him. (He even found the stash I’d hidden from him — and insisted on taking it home! “You know how to make the stuff” he reasoned with me.) I’ve decided to post the recipe — maybe his neighbors can make it for him too!

It’s an adaptation of an old Charleston chutney recipe from the turn of the century — and with a little tweaking, it’s stood the test of time.

Alligator Hall, Sarah Sanford, Cooking and Grilling, Chutney, Peach, Canning

The Great Annual Peach Weigh-in

Ingredients:

4 lbs Mangos or peaches (hardish/greenish – just before ripe)
2 T Mustard seed (not ground)
1 lb Preserved ginger (candied works great). Minced.
2 lb Sugar
4 cups Vinegar (cider has more flavor/white is not as strong)
1 ½ cups Raisins (I like dark brown – but yellow are fine as well)
1 clove garlic (use a fat one). Crushed.

Peel and dice fruit.

Add 2 cups vinegar and boil 25 minutes.

Add the sugar and the other 2 cups vinegar and boil until it’s syrupy (not too thick – just like maple syrup). This will take a while…about 3 ½ hours – stir often towards the end to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Add the rest of the ingredients except the ginger and cook another 30 minutes. Then add the chopped ginger and cook another 10-15 minutes. Make sure now the consistency is more like jam.

Pour into prepared jars.

Make sure lids are on tight, then put in boiling bath for 10 minutes.

Some say it’s even better if you leave the jars in the sun for a few days (put them on a sheet in the yard — put them on their sides to the lids don’t rust from dew). Now lock the gate to your backyard, Uncle Pete might see them!

What Mother Really Wants

Posted on May 1, 2018 by AlligatorHall

My brood. I’m the mom in the middle hidden by yet another kid.

This is a completely self serving post, but hey, Mothers Day only comes once a year, and, umm, anyway, I’m actually writing this on behalf of all the great moms out there. (Yeah, that’s it! I’m writing selflessly on behalf of all moms. That’s it! Whew.)

So what does mom really want?? Allow me to make a few suggestions…

First a word of advice if you’re a guy:

IF YOU’RE A GUY… DON’T — DO NOT — POSITIVELY DO NOT GIVE WHAT YOU WANT TO GET. That mantra is for women as it relates to things like hostess gifts, etc. It’s a female to female thing (or a male to male thing) — and when a man gives to a lady something he’d like to receive, most often it’s not going to be a hit. She generally doesn’t want a garden hose…or a skill saw….or a tire iron…or even a gift certificate to a hardware store. The key is to ASK her! Ask her to make 3 or 4 suggestions for different things that might be nice for her to receive. She may say, “oh, darling, nothing”. Take it from me, she doesn’t mean it. If you gave her nothing as she says, you’re guaranteed to hurt her feelings. You don’t have to do much, but DO LET HER KNOW YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT HER.

Okay, now, that’s behind us.

As you know, there are innumerable ways to go on Mother’s Day — so we’ll break them into two categories. The “things you can DO” category, and the “things you can GIVE” category. I’ll give you three suggestions for each.

Three things you might DO for her on Mother’s Day:

1. Take Initiative: Wash her car or pull some weeds. There’s got to be some obvious thing that you know she’d appreciate your doing — without having to ask you to do it. Taking that little bit of initiative goes a long way. Once she sees what you’ve done, you’re a rock star and model husband/child/sweetheart.

2. Put on the chef apron and grill/cook away! AND THEN CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF. Plenty of moms loves the idea of taking a break from the kitchen — especially the clean up part afterward. If you’re a griller, the go to it! Be sure to be thoughtful about what she likes…remember, this is to let her know you’re thinking about HER. So don’t make your favorite steak tartar if she doesn’t love it!

3. Surprise her! Take her to a park, or on a hike, or biking, or paddling, or anything outside where you and she can breathe! And talk! And enjoy each other! Rather than a movie or something indoors, get outside and be active with a picnic basket or just a little snack in a pack and take the time to enjoy each other. Time outdoors doesn’t cost a penny, and the rewards are over the top.

OK, now, three things you might GIVE her on Mother’s Day. Obviously, this can be small with a small price tag, or crazy expensive, it’s up to you. The key, however is what I’ve said all along, whatever you do, really think about her and what she might like. It’s about letting her know you’ve thought about HER.

1. Give her something that the two of you can enjoy together. For example, if she has expressed an interest in going fishing, or hunting with you, then get her a rod, reel, or maybe something like a camo jacket (it’s off season for hunting, so you might even get a good deal). Then write her a card that shows you want her to join you on your next trip out. Use words like, “for our fishing trip”…or “looking forward to fishing/hunting with you”. The key is that she knows you’re in this with her.

2. Give her an “adventure” trip. Huh? This doesn’t have to mean a trip to the wilds of Alaska, it might just mean an overnight trip to the mountains nearby, or to the ocean that’s a days drive away. And it doesn’t have to be a long trip — it might just be for a day, or overnight, or sure, longer! Getting out of the familiar world to head into the outdoors is so darned healthy that I can’t even write about it well. Sunlight, open air, and a little exertion makes a person feel great — so sure, you can spend some on a massage for her, but why not just join her on a big walk on the beach, or a little hike in the hills. Once again, you’re showing you’re thinking about her and what’s going to make her feel good.

3. Of course, there’s always the fallback: jewelry. Click here to read Listen Guys! Women Love Baubles — the post I wrote about jewelry for women. It could cost between $5 and well….a lot. They key here is to make sure you’re — once again — really thinking about her and what she likes and might actually enjoy.

No matter what, just make sure you do one thing on Mother’s Day: take her aside and tell her how much you appreciate her. That’s what she want’s most of all.

The Secret to the Perfect Picnic

Posted on April 26, 2018 by AlligatorHall

I’ve just left a very special place — an historic hunting and fishing club in the mountains of PA that was established in 1871 and still today maintains its grace and simplicity. There’s a lot to learn from the folks who have been members here for generations — about marksmanship, casting a flyline, etiquette, — and how to do a picnic right. No, seriously, these folks know how to picnic. All of us can take a page out of their picnicking playbook and gain a ton.

Just the baskets are about style.

OK, I’m sold. But some like it cold…

Then comes the practical —

OK, nothing all that new.

But THIS is. And THIS is the point of this post: the most important and useful thing in the picnic basket I saw at this club is something you can’t cook with, or serve on, or pour into…

Think about it: we’ve all done it. You get everything packed up, you load up the kids, the friends, the spouse, the dogs, the charcoal…you drive to the picnic area…and OH NO! You forgot the — (you fill in the blank).

Uh huh! THIS was in the picnic basket. So smart!

We should all make our own versions of this list, laminate it, and put it in our picnic baskets. By the way, plenty of folks keep their picnic baskets/boxes packed all the time; in other words, their supplies are organized in the box at all times, so nobody is rushing around checking off the items on the list at the last minute. Simple stuff, but a great lesson for us all. And hey, now we have a list!

Gotta Love…Cowhides!

Posted on March 8, 2018 by AlligatorHall

For many, cowhide is associated with the decor of the American West — well we say, think again. We have cows here at Alligator Hall. There are cows just outside of Palm Beach. Cows live within miles of New York City. Hey, cows even live in the suburbs of LA. So why are cowhide rugs relegated to the west? Sure, we all love the Dallas/Santa Fe/Jackson Hole look, but quite frankly, cowhide is mainstream, versatile, and a great addition to any room — no matter where you are.

Right now, I have a cowhide rug in my boys playroom…and because it’s practically invisible because of the legos, I’ve decided to spare you the picture. But take a look at where cowhide can take a room —

Whoever thought of cowhide as sweet and feminine?

(I hope the cow was a she…)

Cowhide on an ottoman is a layup, how about on a gold-brushed antique French chair…

(Eclectic Living Room by Dallas Photographers Lindsay von Hagel)

or a modern chair…

Or these chairs!

even on a bar…(how great is this place!)

I put this in just to say, see! Hello South Beach, or LA, or NYC or Chicago…

We can go all over the map with cowhide. Here is a traditional home that used Williamsburg colors with hide…

Here’s a home in DC

There are thousands of pictures we can find that give you the idea that cowhide is mainstream. Like antlers, mounts, and so many other earthy things that we hunters and outdoorspeople bring into our homes, remember cowhide as an option as well. It’s a favorite of mine!

Two Little Boys, One Big Fishing Day

Posted on February 26, 2018 by AlligatorHall

Spring break comes next week — and it can’t get here fast enough. We’ve got a great plan…it’s to do exactly what we did last year: head south to fish! The trip was so much fun for the kids last year that I’ll face mutiny if I suggest we do something different.

So, we’re headed to the Florida Keys, to the “Sportfishing Capital of the World” — a.k.a. Islamorada.

Here’s how it played out last year. We arrived to wind and scattered thundershowers — not really the best conditions for kids who’d never been offshore fishing. But they were eager, and so my request to the very cool captain, Justin Hopper: Let’s not go for the trophy fish. Rather, please just give my kids a good experience. THAT is what’ll keep them coming back.

Things looked promising. Captain Hopper even had it on his t shirt. Oh yea.

Yup. Things looked promising.

It’s easy to get into the buzz of wanting to play and catch a big dolphin or sailfish — but that means heading a ways off shore with seas of 4-6 feet coupled with rain. Now that’s got “no fun for kids” written all over it….(not to mention this mom), so we headed for the reef about a mile offshore where there’s a wide variety of hungry fish.

Let me say, we were outfitted for the big ones. And for some impatient folks, watching this stuff just sit may have been too much…

Not this mom. Let these boys have some successes and get bitten by the bug and I’m happy.

There’s a TON to be said for how this worked out. The boys caught the gamut —

OK, so we started small. Really small. Yellowtail. Little Yellowtail. REALLY little Yellowtail.

The boys were jubilant.

We graduated to…

Grunt! (Scientific name: Haemulidae)

Yup, we were on fire. Then first mate, Paul spotted…

And caught….

Ballyhoo! The perfect bait fish for the big guys offshore.

Feeling frustrated yet?

These guys weren’t. You have no idea how happy the kids were. Often there were two or more rods bowing to fish at one time —

Then came Pogie, Blue Runners, Mutton Snapper, more Grunts, more Yellowtail…

And then…ever heard of a “Sneakerhead”? (NOT to be confused with the real-life people who obsess about buying the latest greatest Nike shoes. Just google Sneakerhead. It’ll scare you…the Imelda Marcoses of hightops. Who knew?) Oh, back to the fishing.

THIS is a real sneakerhead.

So how crazy-looking is that fish. It’s real name is Remora and it attaches itself to sharks and other large fish with suction cups on its head. We put our hands on its head and felt the suction. When we were removing the hook, it even suctioned itself onto the deck of the boat. The only way to remove him was to cover his eyes.( I mean, can it get better for the kids?)

Yes. How about catching dinner!

Ever seen a Hogfish?

Ever tasted hogfish?? Click here for a great recipe for grilled hogfish (and you can grill plenty of other flaky white fish this way too!).

OK, so call this a totally benign post about offshore fishing — fogetaboutit. I call this a massive success. Take a rainy blustery day, two little kids who’ve never been offshore fishing, and give them a big experience, and it’s a two-thumbs up day. These two boys just want to get back out on the water. It worked! Next week it’s going to be perfect weather — maybe.

Alligator Hall

New Life on an Old Plantation

Author Archives: AlligatorHall

Antique Trophies

5 Good Reasons to Love Cast Iron

Wild Turkey and Romano Ravioli

Choosing the Right Puppy

How to Make a Sock Pony

Alligator Hall’s own Peach Chutney

What Mother Really Wants

The Secret to the Perfect Picnic

Gotta Love…Cowhides!

Two Little Boys, One Big Fishing Day