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The Ranger[_2_] The Ranger[_2_] is offline
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Default OT -- Tiger Frogs

The Joneses > wrote in message
et...
> "The Ranger" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "Dad!!"
>>
>> "Dad!!"
>>
>> "Com'ere! Quick!"
>>
>> There was no mistaking the tones. They resonated
>> with that edgy panic, the type that causes parents'
>> hearts to constrict in fear and one's Imagination to
>> careen out of control envisioning "the worst."
>>
>> I dropped the onions and knife into the sink with
>> the remaining vegetables and turned at a dead run
>> to the garage door. As I reached for the brass knob
>> three excited, yet seemingly unbloodied and unbroken,
>> daughter-units were jostling to get through the doorway.
>> We all skidded to stops.
>>
>> "Who's hurt? Where's Miguel? Did you dump
>> something? Why are you acting like someone got
>> hurt?" I bellowed over their raucous chorus.
>>
>> My three magpies stopped their chittering and three jaws
>> clacked shut; clack, clack, clack.
>>
>> Daughter-unit Beta looking down and scuffing her toe
>> on the tile floor of the kitchen, her hands clasped tightly
>> behind her back, ventured, "We got a frog."
>>
>> "YEAH! YEAH! We gotta uh uh uh FWROG!" Spawn
>> yelled excitedly.
>>
>> I closed my eyes and started to count quietly. To calm
>> the racing pulse that was keeping a beat in my temple.
>> I took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "Good. Go
>> out and see if the other seven are ready to morph," and I
>> turned away to finish dinner.
>>
>> "But, Dad? You gotta come see him, first."
>>
>> I turned back towards Daughter-unit Alpha and saw
>> the other two bobbing their exaggerated affirmations.
>> I sighed again and dropped my chin to my chest, "Alright. For
>> just a moment."
>>
>> This experiment in wildlife observation was turning out
>> better than I'd hoped. We'd started with a capture of
>> over 40 tadpoles, two snails, and several dozen other
>> assorted creek-dwelling inhabitants. I'd even learned a
>> valuable lesson on tadpole-ology; the suckers are
>> vicious carnivores and voracious cannibals!
>>
>> The four of us squatted down around the tank that
>> housed the remaining eight tadpoles we'd liberated
>> from a nearby creek. I watched as a prime example
>> of Darwinian Progress climbed out of the water and
>> onto the side of the tank, almost a frog (except the
>> remaining nub of a tail.) "Wow..." I breathed. "Cool,
>> huh? You going to call up your uncles and friends about this?"


[snip]

> I love hearing about the kids. But this is a food group
> and now you have to tell us what else they eat. Besides
> that first course... And can we eat them?


The tadpoles eat will eat pellets, green or red leaf lettuce,
aquatic plants, each other... They're not particular. It's rather
shocking to have forty one night and half the following morning.
When they morph into air-breathing amphibians, I fed them cut-up
worms (meal and earth), blocks of blood worms, and an unlucky
de-winged fly when Lady Luck allowed. When they become
full-fledged frogs, any insect unlucky enough to fly within range
of their mouth is going to disappear.

Clan Ranger enjoyed a pork stew that night with a warmed loaf of
sour dough and whipped-up honey-butter. The recipe for that is
below:

Pork Stew

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. OO (Olive Oil)
2 lb. Pork Tenderloin, cubed
4 large carrots, cut into 1" pieces
9 "baby" Yukon potatoes, cut in 1/2
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup acorn squash, seeded and chopped
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. marjoram (fresh has more flavor)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (or a pizza parlor packet
is a convenient amt.)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup brown gravy
(1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups water, boiling)

Method:
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown pork cubes.
In a
large bowl, combine remaining ingredients except for broth and
gravy.
Pour into crockpot.
For gravy, use pan that pork was browned in. Melt butter. Mix
in
flour. Pour in water, stir and reduce.
Combine both broth and gravy, pouring over items already in
crockpot. Cover; cook on Low for 8-10 hours or High for 4-5 hours.
Serve
with a heavy bread, peasant's loaf or asiago. Serves six.

The Ranger