It’s Been Awhile!

Sorry, I haven’t gone on a safari from writing, just been a bit busy. Saturday was my friends estate sale and I had agreed to ‘work’ it, so I was there 8:45 a.m. – 5 p.m. It was a lot of fun – I LOVE doing things like that – arranging/moving items to be grouped together. For instance: she had an antique caned rocker that had a hole in the seat caning. I was looking through her hard backed books and came upon a really nice “How to Cane Everything” (or some such title) so I propped the book up on the chair seat so that they might sell together. There were large amounts of antique glassware, china and other serving dishes/vases/extra items that went together. I was really ‘good’ – I only bought one antique porcelain tea cup from Czechoslovakia (it’s now in my china cabinet). Of course, their basement was chock full of all sorts of more recent items (although most were circa 1960-now) like picture frames, various antique ladies hats (pill boxes, fascinators or, she called them ‘whimsies’ – those almost nonexistent veils with a touch of flowers things) and even a dark green fedora! Lots of old games, tons of items you would find in a desk, etc. I was able to sell her very old treadle sewing machine complete with wooden table, but not able to move her Father’s antique gramophone complete with boxes of old glass 78’s. Yes, I had a great time – came home with a color TV for middle son (for his apartment), a VCR (for us) and a DVD reader/player for us; an antique pin of her Mother’s, several music cds and a few other things all to the tune of around $50 – I thought I did really well! (Oh, and all things except the really large antique furniture was half off). She had a gorgeous very large grandfather clock with Westminster chimes, for $3,100 – it originally was over $6,000, a maple 4 poster bed, dresser & end tables, and quite a few really nice maple dressers or chest of drawers with marble tops – I would have loved them but we just don’t have the room! Ran into several people coming to the sale whom I know from other areas – that was fun; even ran into the guy who used to cut my hair in 1985! (he recognized me, I didn’t him until he mentioned it).

Along with the ‘being busy’ has been several DAYS worth of me attempting to get the hang of this tatted bracelet/bookmark thing. I got ‘almost’ halfway before dropping it and then couldn’t figure out where on the video I was, OR where on the piece I was working (it varies whether you turn the work over or just keep working on that side – sigh!). Gave up for awhile and just picked it up again about an hour ago. Got to a little past where I was before (that means I trashed the first attempt and started all over again) before calling it a night for now – my fingers are sore! I actually think I’m getting the hang of it THIS time! We’ll see – mine (of course) is not all perfect like the woman who’s teaching it. I was really hoping to make a really nice, neat one to give to my friend for her birthday (which was yesterday) but I’m not exactly sure whether that will be a good idea – we’ll see where this all turns out. Among the many, MANY items for sale Saturday were about 8 balls of crochet/tatting thread (I bought 4); it remains to be seen whether I’ll actually USE them for tatting or not – still not exactly sure I’m really ENJOYING this new learning thing!

======================

Crunchy Chicken Salad

3 T. butter or margarine
1 (3 oz) pkg. ramen noodle soup mix
2 T. sesame seeds
1/4 C. sugar
1/4 C. white vinegar
1 T. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 C. cut-up cooked chicken
1/2 C. dry-roasted peanuts
4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 C.)
1 (16 oz) bag coleslaw mix
–
Melt butter in 10″ skillet over medium heat.
Stir in seasoning packet from noodles; break
block of noodles into bite-sized pieces over
skillet. Stir noodles into butter mixture; cook
2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in sesame
seeds & cook about 2 minutes longer, stirring
constantly, until noodles are golden brown. Mix
sugar, vinegar, oil & pepper in large bowl. Add
remaining ingredients & noodle mixture; toss.
Makes 6 servings

(recipe: Betty Crocker)
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Summer Seafood Salad

5 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/4 C. red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 C. green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 C. yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
2 tsp. celery seed
1 3/4 C. mayonnaise
3 pkgs. imitation King crab meat, chopped
1 pkg. small baby shrimp (chopped, if desired)
2 tsp. sugar
–
In large bowl, blend  salad ingredients together;
toss by hand, along with Old Bay & celery seed.
Add crab & shrimp, toss by hand. Stir sugar into
mayonnaise then mix into salad. Refrigerate 1/2 –
1 hour. Serves 10

(recipe: Donna-justapinch.com)
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Zucchini Chips

1/4 C. ground almonds
1/4 C. grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 T. milk
2 1/2 C. (1/4 inch-thick) slices zucchini
(about 2 small)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven 425 F.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl,
stirring with a whisk. Place milk in a shallow bowl.
Dip zucchini slices in milk, and dredge in dry mixture.
Place coated slices on an oven proof wire rack coated
with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet.
Bake at 425 for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp.
Serve immediately. Serves 4

(recipe: Facebook)
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Roasted Sweet Potatoes

3 Sweet potatoes, peeled &cut into bite size cubes
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp of brown sugar (organic)
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground ginger
Sea salt, to taste

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray.
Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into bite size
cubes and place in the baking dish.
Melt butter in the microwave and pour over
 the potatoes along with the olive oil, brown sugar,
cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt.
Add more sugar or cinnamon if desired.
Toss to coat evenly; bake  60 minutes
Stir the sweet potatoes once or twice during roasting.

(recipe: Facebook)
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Lemonade Layer Cake

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk
Cooking spray

Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons thawed lemonade concentrate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°
To prepare cake, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl;
beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended
(about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time,
beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into
dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour,
baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk.
Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar
mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat
well after each addition.Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round
cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once
on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes
or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool
in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool
completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting
Place 2 tablespoons butter and the next 4 ingredients
(2 tablespoons butter through cream cheese) in a large bowl;
beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar,
and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat).
Chill 1 hour.Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup
frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting
over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in
the refrigerator.

(recipe: Pinterest)
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Hamburger Stew

2 pounds ground beef
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
4 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) stewed tomatoes
8 medium carrots, thinly sliced
4 celery ribs, thinly sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups water
1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 to 2 tablespoons salt
1 to 2 teaspoons pepper

Cook beef and onions over medium heat; drain.
Add tomatoes, carrots, celery, potatoes, water,
rice, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat;
 cover and simmer for 30 minutes until vegetables
and rice are tender. Uncover; simmer 20-30 minutes
longer or until thickened.
Serve with buttered cornbread

(recipe: Facebook)
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Apple Cobbler

–
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 C. thinly-sliced pared apples
1 C. flour
1 C. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. sa.t
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 C. evaporated milk
1/3 C. butter, melted
–
Preheat oven 325 degrees F.
Place apples in bottom of a
greased 8 1/4 X 1 3/4 inch
round baking dish. Sprinkle
with a mixture of sugar & cinnamon.
Mix dry ingredients together. Combine
egg, milk & butter. Add dry ingredients
all at once; mix until smooth. Pour
over apples. Bake 1 hour or until
a toothpick inserted in the middle
comes out clean. Serve warm.
Serves 8

(recipe: Rhonda G-Marys Recipe
Exchange)
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Summertime Fruit Salad

OVERNIGHT recipe

Salad:

2 C. fresh strawberries, sliced
2 C. pineapple tidbits
1 1/2 C. seedless green or red grapes,
halved
1 1/2 C. peaches or nectarines, diced
1 C. fresh blueberries or raspberries
1/4 C. sugar
leaf lettuce (optional)

Pineapple Cream Cheese Dressing:
1/3 C. sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. pineapple juice
1/4 C. orange juice
2 T. lemon juice
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 (3 oz, ea) pkgs. cream cheese, softened

Day before Serving:

In small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch &
salt; stir in juices until smooth. Bring to boil; cook &
stir 2 minutes or until thickened, remove from heat.
Stir a small amount into the eggs; return all to pan,
stirring constantly. Cook & stir until mixture reaches
160 degrees F. and is thickened; remove from heat
& cool slightly. In small mixing bowl, beat cream
cheese until smooth. Add juice mixture; mix well.
Cover & refrigerate overnight.

In large bowl, combine fruits. Sprinkle with sugar;
toss to coat. Cover & refrigerate overnight.

Just before serving:
Combine dressing & fruits; toss lightly. Can garnish
bowl by lining with lettuce leaves, if desired.
Serves 8

(recipe: Kendra-justapinch.com)
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Yellow Squash, Tomato & Onion Packets

(GRILL or Oven)

1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium yellow squash, cut into
1/4 inch thick slices
4 large plum tomatoes, quartered
1/4 C. chopped fresh basil
1/3 C. shredded Parmesan cheese
–
Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Place
onions in center of (24 X 18 inch) sheet
of foil; top with squash & tomatoes. Sprinkle
with basil. Bring up foil sides; double fold top
& ends to seal, leaving room for heat
circulation inside. Grill 15 minutes or until
vegetables are tender. Open top of packet;
sprinkle vegetables with cheese; let stand
3 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Serves 4

OVEN:
Preheat oven 450 degrees F.
Assemble foil packets as directed, place
on baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until
vegetables are tender. Open top of packet,
sprinkle veggies with cheese & let stand
3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

(recipe: Kraft foods)
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Mini Taco Bowls

8 flour tortillas (6 inch)
1 lb. ground beef
1 C. thick & chunky salsa
1/2 C. shredded Cheddar cheese
2 C. chopped lettuce
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 C. ranch salad dressing

(sour cream for topping, if desired)
–
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Microwave tortillas on High 30 seconds.
Line 8 muffin cups with 1 tortilla, each.
Carefully fold back edges of tortillas,
leaving opening in centers for filling. Bake
10 minutes. Brown meat in large skillet;
drain. Stir in salsa, bring to boil. Simmer
on medium-low heat 10  minutes. Spoon
meat mixture into tortilla bowls, top with
remaining ingredients. Makes 8 bowls

(recipe: Kraft foods)
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 Chili Dog Casserole

2 (15 oz, ea) cans chili with beans
1 (16 oz) pkg. beef hot dogs
10 (8 in) flour tortillas
1 (8 oz) pkg. shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven 425 degrees F.
Spread 1 can chili & beans in bottom of a
9 X 13 baking dish. Roll up hot dogs inside
tortillas & place in dish, seam side down, on
top of chili. Top with remaining can of chili &
sprinkle top with cheese. Bake 50-60 minutes.

(recipe: Mary Free-Marys Recipe Exchange)
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GARLIC PARMESAN PULL APART BREAD

1 can refrigerated Grands biscuits
1/2 stick of butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian Seasoning

–

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Place cold butter in Bundt pan, place in oven
& let butter melt. While the butter melts, cut
biscuits into quarters. In a bowl, toss the biscuit
pieces, garlic, Italian Seasoning, & Parmesan cheese
together. Once the butter is melted, add the biscuit mixture,
sprinkling with any cheese and garlic that gets let behind
in the bowl. Bake 20- 22 minutes until golden brown.
Turn out on a dish and enjoy!

(recipe: Jamiecooksitup!)
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S’MORE CUPS

7 whole graham crackers, finely crushed
1/4 cup powdered sugar
6 tbsp butter, melted
4 bars milk chocolate candy
12 large marshmallows
–
Preheat oven to 350. Place graham crackers
into a large resealable plastic bag. Finely
crush into crumbs. Combine graham
cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and butter
in small bowl. Mix well with fork.
Place small scoop of crumb mixture in each
cup of a mini-muffin pan. Press crumbs to
form shallow cups. Bake 4-5 minutes or until
edges are bubbling While the crust is in the oven,
break two of the candy bars into rectangles.
Remove pan from oven; place one rectangle into
each cup. Cut marshmallows in half crosswise
using shears dipped in cold water. Place one
marshmallow half, cut-side down, into each cup.
Return to oven 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows
are just slightly softened. Remove from oven;
cool 15 minutes. Carefully remove cups from pan.
Cool completely. Break remaining candy bars and
place in (1-cup) prep bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1
minute-1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth,
stirring every 20 seconds. Dip the top of each
marshmallow in melted chocolate. Turn top-side up
and let stand 40 minutes-1 hour or until set.
Yield: 24 cups

(recipe: Facebook)
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Our weather has been really strange lately – definitely NOT typical almost-end-of-July temps! I would say the highest it’s been here lately is in the ‘almost 70’s; right now it’s almost 8 p.m. and it’s 67 outside. Quite a few of our friends have reported that they’ve turned their house heat back on – us, too. It’s CHILLY out there, folks! Just checking the upcoming weather, it’s supposed to be 79 Thurs & Friday, BUT it’s also supposed to rain – sigh. I guess I can’t complain – at least it isn’t SNOW!

Not much else to report, our grandson will be here tomorrow – first time in 2 weeks. He’s been on vacation with the other set of grandparents to Minnesota; hope he had fun! (That 2 weeks was too quick!).

Enjoy your day/evening – week!

Hugs;

Pammie

I FINALLY DID IT!!! YAY!

Would have liked to be able to ‘crop’ this better, but am still working within the ramifications of the new camera and it’s little idiosyncrasies – sigh.

TWO TATTED FLOWER EARRINGS

Anyway, you get the idea – finally completed two tatted earrings. The new tatting needles came in the mail today and I must say – they are MUCH easier to work with than the tiny, very sharp ‘sailor’s needle’ I’d attempted this with earlier. There are also more videos by the same lady – there’s a bracelet one I ‘might’ attempt, but for right now I’m just thrilled I was actually able to complete TWO that look similar! My husband looked at the first one and was commenting: “Well, the circles are not ALL EXACTLY the same sizes” (I could have slapped him!). I think, for my first try, they’re just what I wanted. IF I were to do them again, I might go with a smaller thread & needle, but not sure if I even want to try that again; we’ll see . . .

Hugs;

Pammie

Cool & Quiet – So Far

It’s almost 11 a.m. here and we just had a mild rain storm – our temperature is at 69 degrees F., that’s COOL compared to the temps last week! Not much ‘to do’ today, Knit/Crochet night tonight; the current baby blanket is coming along nicely. Was ‘thinking’ of researching some knitted towel toppers for the Historical Society (for next year’s Log Cabin Days); these were ‘requested’ by one of the ladies who was selling our dishcloths. I just went on my favorite FREE site: Ravelry.com and read about seven different variations on the knitted top kitchen towel – all are equally frustrating to me. Yes, I can read directions but each of these required some sort of cutting off the top hem & then stitching (either by hand using embroidery floss or using a serger) BEFORE you actually even begin knitting! Sigh! To me, that’s a lot of extra work for something so trivial as a hand towel! Sorry – guess I just talked myself out of that ‘experiment’.

Been getting lots of really tasty-sounding summer recipes so decided to do a blog just to give you more ideas!

=================

Fresh-from-the- Cob Corn Salad

1/2 C. Italian salad dressing
2 T. Dijon mustard
4 ears corn on cob, cooked/cooled slightly
1/2 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed & cut
into 1-inch lengths & cooked
1 C. grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 C. chopped fresh basil
–
Mix salad dressing & mustard in large bowl
until blended. Cut kernels from cobs; add to
dressing mixture & mix lightly. Add remaining
ingredients & toss to coat. Serves 10

NOTE: Can be made ahead. Mix vegetables
together & refrigerate up to 24 hours before
serving. Toss with dressing mixture just before
serving

(recipe: Kraft foods)
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Easy Potato Skewers
(grill)

2 lb. red potatoes (about 8)
1/4 C. water
3/4 C. mayonnaise
2 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
–
Prick potatoes with fork; place in 3 qt.
microwaveable casserole dish. Add water;
cover with lid & microwave on High 10-12
minutes or until potatoes are almost tender.
Drain; rinse with cold water & cool. Cut
potatoes into quarters. Mix mayonnaise,
mustard & pepper in large bowl. Add
potatoes; toss to coat. Refrigerate 1 hour.
Heat greased grill to medium heat. Thread
potatoes onto 8 small metal skewers; brush
with mayonnaise mixture remaining in
bowl. Grill 8-10 minutes or until potatoes
are tender & golden brown, turning after
5 minutes. Transfer to platter, sprinkle
with cheese. Serves 8

(recipe: Kraft foods)
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Fast Fish Skillet

4 Tilapia fillets* (1 lb)
1/4 C. Italian salad dressing
1 T. pesto
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, cut lengthwise, then
crosswise into slices
1 C. grape tomatoes
3 t. thinly sliced fresh basil
4 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese
–
Brush fish with 2 T. salad dressing; cook
in skillet on medium heat 3-4 minutes on
each side or until fish flakes easily with
fork. Transfer to plate, cover to keep warm.
Add remaining dressing, pesto, vegetables &
tomatoes to skillet; cook 5 minutes or until
heated through, stirring frequently; spoon
over fish & top with basil and 1 tsp. cheese
per serving.

*can substitute fresh or thawed frozen fish
fillets – using haddock or cod, if desired

(recipe: Kraft foods)
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Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

3 eggs
1 1/8 C. oil
1 1/2 C. milk
2 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp. butter extract/flavoring
2 1/4 C. sugar
3 C. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. poppy seeds

Glaze:
1/2 C. lemon juice
1 1/2 C. powdered sugar
2 tsp. butter extract/flavoring
2 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp. vanilla extract
–
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Beat eggs, oil, milk, extracts together
in one bowl. Mix together sugar, flour,
salt, baking powder & poppy seeds;
add together with egg mixture, in
thirds, mixing between each addition.
Grease a bundt pan well, then flour &
pour in batter. Bake 1 hour, or until
top starts to crack and is golden brown.

Glaze:
Mix all glaze ingredients together.

Once cake is done baking, while still hot,
poke holes in cake (poster uses a chop
stick) – lots of holes. Slowly pour glaze
over top of cake.

(recipe: Brittany-justapinch.com)
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Avocado Chicken Enchiladas

Enchilada Sauce

1 tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock – (or vegetable stock)
2 teaspoons of cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup mild or medium salsa verde
1/2 cup fat free sour cream

Enchiladas

3-4 cups cooked chicken breasts, chopped or shredded
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
3 avocados, peeled and chopped
8 flour tortillas

Preheat oven 375 degrees.
In medium sauce pan, saute garlic in butter for
about 1 minute on Medium High Heat. Stir in flour
let it cook for about 2 more minutes. Stir in  chicken broth,
cumin, salt, pepper and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat;
stir in the sour cream, salsa verde and cilantro until smooth
Prepare a 9X13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Add about
 1/2 cup sauce to the bottom of the pan. and spread out until
 bottom of the baking dish is evenly coated. Lay out a tortilla
and add chicken, shredded cheese, and avocado to the end of
 the tortilla and roll. Then place the rolled tortilla seam-side down
and repeat until the pan is full. Pour the remaining sauce over
the enchiladas; cover with 1 cup of cheese. Bake 20 minutes or
until cheese is bubbling.

(recipe: Facebook)
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Turkey on the Grill

1 turkey, thawed
1 C. olive oil
1 tsp. thyme, dried
1 tsp. sage, dried
1 tsp. rosemary sprigs
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. garlic salt
dashes salt & pepper
1 tsp. ground mustard
dash cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. celery seed (optional)
–
Place a 9 x 13 metal baking pan
bottom-side-up on grill. Place a
large cookie sheet on top of pan.
Turn on both sides of grill to
low heat. Place turkey in roaster pan
& rub all over with olive oil to coat
entire turkey. Mix all spices &
seasonings together in one bowl;
sprinkle over entire turkey inside &
out. Place roasting pan on top of cookie
sheet on grill, uncovered; close grill lid.
Check every hour; add hour if needed.
Baste with drippings as desired. Cook
until internal thermometer pops out all
the way.

COMMENTS from poster: I used a 28 lb.
turkey. The turkey took half the time it
would have taken in the oven. It was the
juiciest & most tender turkey I have ever
cooked. It came out perfectly moist & tasty.

(recipe: Michelle – justapinch.com)
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Crisp Cucumber Salsa

2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 T. minced fresh parsley
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4-1/2 tsp. minced fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 c reduced-fat sour cream
1-1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
Tortilla chips

In a small bowl, combine the first seven
ingredients. In another bowl, combine
the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice,
cumin and seasoned salt. Pour over
cucumber mixture and toss gently to
coat. Serve immediately with chips.

(recipe: Facebook)
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Fabulous Hot Fudge Peanut Butter Pie

For the pie:

1 chocolate graham cracker crust
1 cup peanut butter
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1 tub (12 ounces) Cool Whip, divided
1 jar (11.75 ounces) hot fudge topping, divided
½ cup sugar

For the topping:

2 tablespoons hot fudge
2 tablespoons peanut butter

—–
In large bowl, beat peanut butter, cream cheese,
and sugar until creamy. Fold in 3 cups Cool Whip;
spoon mixture into crust and smooth to edges.
Remove 2 tablespoons hot fudge from jar and
reserve in zip-lock plastic baggie for later. Heat
remaining hot fudge according to package directions;
spread on top of peanut butter layer.
Refrigerate pie until serving time.

At serving time, carefully spread remaining Cool
Whip on top of pie. Knead hot fudge in baggie with
hands; cut tiny hole in corner of baggie and pipe
 over pie. Repeat with 2 tablespoons peanut butter
and pipe on pie in opposite direction.

(recipe: Facebook)
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Grilled Balsamic Chicken Breast

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (8 oz ea)

Marinade:
1/4 C. balsamic vinegar
1/4 C. cooking oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
kosher salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 T. fresh crushed rosemary
–
Cut chicken breast in half lengthwise.
Combine marinade ingredients; pour over
chicken. Let it marinade in fridge a
minimum of 2 hours but preferably
4-6 hours or longer.
Preheat grill to medium-high. Lightly
rub grates with oil. When grill is hot,
lay chicken on grill. Cook until well
browned on both sides & firm, but not
hard to the touch, about 7 minutes per
side. Transfer to plate. Makes 8 servings

(recipe: Peg-Marys Recipe Exchange)
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Avocado Chicken

1 tsp. olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 avocado, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
1/2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
–
Heat oven 350 degrees F.
Heat oil in medium skillet; add chicken
to pan & sprinkle with onion powder,
salt & pepper. Cook 3 minutes on each
side, or until lightly browned. Transfer
chicken to a greased baking dish & top
each breast with avocado, tomato &
cheese. Bake 10-12 minutes or until
cheese is melted & chicken is done.
Serves 4

(recipe: Peg-Marys Recipe Exchange)
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HawaiianWedding Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup coconut
1 tsp coconut extract
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple with juice
–
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Mix all ingredients and pour into greased 13 x 9” pan.
Bake 40-45 minutes. Cool.

FROSTING:
1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese
1 1/2 cup powdered (icing) sugar
1/2 tsp coconut extract
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla

Blend frosting ingredients well. Frost cooled cake.
Garnish with chopped nuts, coconut or chopped
fruit, if desired.

(recipe: Facebook)
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Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

–
1 eggplant, coarsely chopped
2 red peppers
2 small zucchini, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 fresh jalapeno peppers
4 cloves garlic
1/4 C. zesty Italian salad dressing
1 1/2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese,
divided
1/2 C. water
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
–
Preheat oven 425 degrees F.
Cover rimmed baking sheet with foil;
spray with nonstick spray. Toss vegetables
& garlic with dressing; spread onto baking
sheet. Bake 30 minutes, turning after 10
minutes; cool. Remove garlic cloves; set
aside. Peel peppers; discard seeds. Coarsely
chop peppers; combine with remaining
roasted vegetables. Combine 2 C. vegetable
mixture & 1/2 C. cheese; set aside. Blend water,
garlic & remaining vegetable mixture in blender
until smooth. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F.;
Spread 1 C. vegetable puree onto bottom of a
9 X 13 baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray. Heat
tortillas in skillet to soften. Spoon about 3 T. chopped
vegetable mixture down center of each tortilla; roll
up. Place, seam-sides down, in prepared dish; top
with remaining vegetable puree and cheese; cover.
Bake 25 minutes or until enchiladas are heated
through & cheese is melted. Sprinkle with cilantro
before serving. Serves 6

TIP: Serve with sour cream, to garnish

NOTE: Can be made ahead & refrigerated up to
3 hours before baking.

(recipe: Kraft foods)
=================================

Hope you’re enjoying your day!

Hugs;

Pammie

Quiet Sunday So Far . . .

Today I’m doing something I rarely do – we skipped church. The little old (Alzheimer’s) lady we drive called at 6:30 a.m. to tell me she wasn’t feeling well enough to go and my husband noticed I was really dragging, so he suggested we just stay home & rest – I was game for that! Last night was the ‘pseudo-wedding’ of my middle son’s special needs client and it was ‘interesting’, to say the least. The ‘bride & groom’ are both Down’s Syndrome adults who have known each other for a long time and wanted to get married. I’m not exactly sure, but I believe, in Michigan, that isn’t allowed SO their parents came up with an alternate idea, hence last night’s celebration. It was ‘interesting’ in that, it was held at a large hotel in the area. We really didn’t know what to expect but walked into their ballroom and sat at our assigned table. Turns out it was much like what you would experience AFTER a wedding, for the reception! There was a head table with the couple and several of their closest special needs friends. It started out with a buffet Italian dinner, followed by a few short speeches then lots of dancing – no actual ‘marriage/ceremony’ per se. The father of the ‘groom’ announced that they will be taking the happy couple on a tour of New York and several other states. Definitely different, for sure. There was a Congratulations cake and a ‘groom’s cake’ AND cannolis! I LOVE Cannoli’s! (I had 2). All in all, it was an enjoyable evening.

Nothing much new around here; on the knitting scene am still working on the baby blanket. Haven’t picked up the tatting in a few days due to the problem I think I mentioned in the last post – I was frustrated by my not allowing enough of a ‘tail’ on my work to be able to complete it – I’ll pick it up again in a few days. Currently I’m reading a biography of the woman featured in the movie: “Out of Africa” – The Life of a Story Teller: Izak Dineson”. She was an interesting woman – very much the wanderlust; the book is filled with her passions, lush descriptions of life is South Africa in the 1900’s – it’s a very thick book (hard back – about 4 inches thick) but it keeps you interested as you go through her life.

Dinner tonight will be roast chicken, baked potatoes & tossed salad. After driving youngest son to work (he still doesn’t have a car) I stopped and grabbed a few groceries – the already cooked roasted chickens smelled so good I bought one! LOVE the taste!

===================

Bell Pepper Slaw

3 T. sugar
kosher salt
1/2 C. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. celery seeds
1 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
freshly ground black pepper
6 bell peppers (red/orange/yellow) cut
into thin strips
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced &
roughly chopped
3 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 C. mayonnaise
–
Whisk sugar & 2 tsp. salt with vinegar in a
large bowl until dissolved. Add celery seeds,
mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp. pepper, bell peppers,
celery, scallions & cabbage; toss to combine.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour to allow flavors
to develop. Add mustard & mayonnaise to
slaw & toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to
serve. Serves 6-8

(recipe: Food Network)
—————————————-

Malted Milk Pie

2 pkgs. graham crackers, crushed (2 C. crumbs)
1/2 C. sugar
1 stick butter
6 oz. malted milk balls, crushed*
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
2 T. milk
6 T. marshmallow cream
6 T. malted milk powder
1 pint whipping cream
2 T. milk
–
Mix first 3 ingredients together; press into a
9 X 13 pan; freeze 1 hour.
Add crushed malted milk balls & milk into
softened ice cream; mix well then pour over
crust; freeze. Mix marshmallow cream, malted
milk powder, & milk together. Add whipping
cream & beat with mixer until stiff peaks form;
pour over ice cream & freeze several hours.
Serves 12

(recipe: Diane-justapinch.com)
————————————-

Banana Bread Bars

1 1/2 C. sugar
1 C. sour cream
1/2 C. butter, softened
2 eggs
1-3/4 (3 or 4) ripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 C.  flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 C. chopped walnuts (optional)

Brown Butter Frosting:

1/2 C. butter
4 C. powdered sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. milk

Heat oven to 375F.
Grease & flour 15×10-inch jelly roll pan. In
a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream,
butter & eggs until creamy. Blend in bananas
& vanilla extract. Add flour, baking soda, salt;
blend for 1 minute. Stir in walnuts.Spread batter
evenly into pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until
golden brown.

Frosting:
 
Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat
until boiling. Let butter turn a delicate brown;
remove from heat immediately. Add powdered
sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Whisk together
until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze
but thinner than frosting). Using a spatula, spread
the brown butter frosting over warm bars
(the frosting will be easier to spread while
 the bars are still warm).

(recipe: Facebook)
————————————————–

SPECIAL FRUIT SALAD

1 (29 oz) can peach slices, undrained
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks, undrained
1 (3 1/8 oz) box dry vanilla instant pudding mix
1 lb strawberry, stemmed & quartered
1 banana, sliced
1/2 pint blueberries
1 bunch grapes
1 -2 T. sugar (optional)
–
  In a large bowl, combine peaches, pineapples
& vanilla pudding mix including the juices from the cans.Mix well until pudding is dissolved. Stir in strawberries, banana, blueberries, grapes, andsugar if desired.
Chill.

(recipe: Facebook)
———————————————–

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

2 lbs chicken tenders or 4 large chicken breasts
2 sleeves Ritz crackers
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup whole milk
3 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon dried parsley

Sauce:
1 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoon sour cream
2 tablespoon butter

–
Preheat oven 400 degrees F.
Crush crackers. If using chicken breasts and not tenders, cut each chicken breast into 3 large pieces. Pour milk, cheeseand cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss salt and pepper into cracker crumbs; stir mixture around to combine. Dip each piece of chicken into  milk then the cheese. Press cheese into the chicken with your fingers. Then press the cheesy coated chicken into the cracker crumbs and press it in.

Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken in pan. Sprinkle dried parsley over chicken; cover pan with  foil.Bake  35 minutes. Remove foil, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until  edges of chicken are golden brown and crispy.

Sauce:
In  medium sauce pan combine  cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is hot. Serve over the chicken.

(recipe: Facebook)
———————————————–

GRAPE SALAD
(overnight recipe)

Made the day before the brown sugar makes the sauce
taste like caramel. You can use less brown sugar, if you wish
–
4 lbs seedless green and red grapes
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1/2 C. white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 oz chopped pecans
2 T. brown sugar
–
Wash and dry grapes. In a large bowl, mix together
cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Add
grapes and mix until evenly incorporated. Sprinkle
with brown sugar and pecans, mix again and
refrigerate until serving.
8 servings

(recipe: Facebook)
——————————————-

Chicken Broccoli Pie Pockets

 

4 T. butter

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

1 1/2 C. cooked & shredded chicken

1 1/2 C. frozen chopped broccoli

1/2 C. frozen corn

1 box refrigerated pie crust (2 crusts)

–

Preheat oven 400 degrees F.

In large microwaveable bowl, combine cream

cheese & butter; microwave at 15 second

intervals until slightly melted & able to stir

until smooth. Add onion powder & garlic salt;

stir well. Add chicken, froz. broccoli & corn;

stir until well combined. Unroll both crusts; cut

each into quarters. On one quarter place 1/4

of cream cheese mixture (about 3/4 – 1 Cup).

Place a second quarter over top; pinch seams

to seal (you can flute if desired). Repeat until

you have 4 pie pockets. Cut a few small slits

in tops of pockets for steam. Place on greased

cookie sheet & bake 20 minutes or until tops

are golden brown. Serves 4

(recipe: Facebook)

—————————————-

FRESH STRAWBERRY UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

2 C. fresh strawberries, sliced
1 (6 oz.) box strawberry Jell-O
3 C. miniature marshmallows
1 yellow cake mix
–
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Pour strawberries into a 9 X 13 baking
pan. Sprinkle jell-0 on top, then add
marshmallows. Prepare cake mix
according to pkg. directions, then
pour batter over strawberry mixture.
Bake 40-50 minutes. When toothpick
inserted into center comes out clean,
let it set about 15 minutes. Run a
knife around edges & turn onto a
serving tray. Refrigerate 1 hour before
serving.

(recipe: Facebook)
—————————————————-

Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken

Chicken Coating:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
salt + pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Sweet & Sour Sauce:

3/4 cup sugar
4 tbs ketchup
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt

Preheat oven 325 degrees. Rinse chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs. Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9×13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.

 

(recipe: Facebook)

————————————————

Tomato Salad with Cheese Crisps

4 thick slices Italian bread, cut into cubes
1/4 C. olive oil
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. white wine vinegar
2 lb. mixed heirloom tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 bunch scallions, sliced
2 T. chopped fresh dill
3/4/ C. grated Gruyere cheese
1 T. flour
–
Preheat oven 400 degrees F.
Toss bread with 2 T. olive oil on a baking
sheet; season w/salt & pepper. Bake until
golden brown, about 8 minutes; let cool
slightly. Whisk mustard, lemon juice &
vinegar in large bowl; season with salt &
pepper. Slowly whisk in remaining 2 T. olive
oil. Add tomatoes, scallions & dill; season
w/salt & pepper then add the bread cubes;
toss to coat. Set aside.
Toss cheese with flour & pepper, to taste,
in bowl. Arrange mixture in 4 mounds on
baking sheet; flatten slightly. Bake until
golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool
slightly then remove with spatula to a
rack & let cool; serve with the tomato
salad. Serves 4

(recipe: Food Network)
===================================

Well, that’s about all that’s going on around here lately. How is your weather cooperating? It’s been really hot the past few days – in the 90’s, but then we had a pretty heavy rain Friday night and now it’s cooler. Right now my thermometer is setting at 74 degrees – a rather gray day, with little breeze, but it’s MUCH better than 90’s!

Enjoy your day and try to stay cool!

Hugs;

Pammie

After Many Tries . . .

I actually made it through Videos #1, 2 and ALMOST through Video #3 of Learning to Tat! Was SO proud UNTIL I realized that the ‘save some tail/thread’ when you begin meant MORE thread than I had . . . not going to be able to actually COMPLETE the earring – not with the little, tiny tail I have!

Oh well, below is a photo of what it’s supposed to look like (sort of – the pattern is from a library book)

Obviously, this project will be ‘for another day’, as I’ve expended all the brain-power I have just creating that little tiny thing you see in Photo #1! I enjoy attempting to copy/create what the lady on the video is demonstrating, in fact so much so that I just ordered the REAL tatting needles (instead of still using the canvas sail needle I’ve been using – yes, it works but it has one heck of a point on the end and I’ve stabbed myself MANY times!) The tatting needles are blunt on the end; entire kit comes with 3 needles and a case. I figured it isn’t that expensive to get the actual needles ($9.00), so why not?

Also ended up having to order the ‘connecting cable’ for my new camera – I somehow lost it! I remember the day I got the camera (about 3 weeks ago) and husband said: “You shouldn’t have to use the cord, you can just directly plug the SB card into your computer!” “Great”, I thought – “Now I don’t have to worry about accidentally leaving the camera ON when downloading photos from camera to computer and then wiping out the battery!” You would NOT believe what it took to get those above two photos on this website. I’ve been doing the ‘insert SB card into computer’ thing for all the photos taken with new camera UP TIL NOW – BUT, for some reason, it decided to NOT allow the new photos to be downloaded to the computer! Took husband about an hour of fiddling, looking up Kodak Easy Share program, downloading a possible option, etc. (I knew, but he didn’t) that Kodak decided to DISCONTINUE the Easy Share program about a year ago – you can take all the photos you want, they just don’t have the ‘edit, etc.’ program to use with them! (hence, why my above photos are not close up or cropped smaller, or clearer/brighter) . . . sigh. We’ll see what happens when NEW camera-to- computer cord arrives; sure hope it clears this up some!

Hugs;

Pammie

PS: Totally forgot! I was going to add the information (for anyone of you who ‘might’ want to see the Tatting videos)

Not having luck doing that. If you’re interested, you would go on YouTube.com and type in:

Tat Tat Tatting  by onevirtuouswoman

She has lots of videos on learning to NEEDLE Tat.

Keepin’ Busy

What do you do with a very active 7 year old for a day? Well, you might play Jenga, for starters! This particular young man likes to play ‘dirty’ – which he learned from his Dad, by the way. You START out the game by removing the very BOTTOM pieces, making the rest of the plays VERY difficult to the other player. Let’s just say, he won all the games played with grandma!

Then, much later on – after MANY board games (of which I think I won 2), he got rather tired after we read several books together. He asked me what songs I used to sing to him when trying to get him to sleep (“when I was a baby”) – so I started singing and patting his butt – next photo is the end result (which took all of about 3 minutes – he MUST have been tired!)

(sorry the photo is blurry – but you get the idea. It took youngest son to lift him up & put him on the couch – now that he’s growing up, he’s too heavy for me to lift!)

It’s a kind of busy weekend for me: Friday evening is the bridal shower for the young lady I knit the shawl for and Saturday evening is the ‘wedding/celebration’ for my middle son’s client. It will be a ‘different’ type of ceremony – his client is special needs and so is his ‘intented’. Both of their parents realize that they will probably never be able to actually marry but decided to ‘give them the next best thing’ – both sets of parents are throwing a celebratory party in their honor. I know it’s at a very up-scale hotel and will be formal – just not exactly sure of the whole ‘program’; on this one I’m following my middle son’s lead – the ‘groom’ is his client. There’s going to be a cocktail hour followed by a sit-down dinner then dancing. (I don’t dance, neither does my son, so I’m hoping we can gracefully leave after dinner). New experiences every day, right?

Lots of great summer recipes coming in:

=============

Ice Box Lemon Drop Cake

1 box Duncan Hines moist deluxe
lemon cake mix
1 C. buttermilk*
1 (3 oz) pkg. instant lemon pudding mix (dry)

Glaze:

4 C. confectioner’s sugar
1/3 C. lemon juice
3 T. vegetable oil
3 T. water
–
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
In large bowl, stir together dry cake mix &
pudding mix. In another bowl, combine all
wet ingredients & eggs that cake mix calls
for, plus buttermilk. (Where cake mix box
calls for 1 1/3 C. water, put in 1 C. water &
1/3 C. lemon juice to make cake even more
lemon flavored). Beat with mixer until blended;
add to dry mixture, beat until combined. Bake in
greased 9 X 13 pan for time CAKE BOX calls for.
It might require a few minutes longer baking
time, because of extra moisture produced by milk.
Test by inserting wooden toothpick in center, if it
comes out clean, it’s done.

Icing:
Combine water, oil, confectioner’s sugar & lemon
juice in bowl, mix with elec. mixer until smooth. Add
one more T. of water, if necessary, if consistency isn’t
‘saucy’. Glaze cake when just a little cooled. Do not
over glaze because glaze mixture is sweet, only a THIN
layer is required. There will be a little glaze left over; store
in refrigerator & stir before using. Store cake in refrigerator
& serve cold or at room temperature.

*Buttermilk:
1 C. milk
1 T. lemon juice or vinegar

Combine milk & lemon juice or
vinegar in bowl, let stand 5 minutes.
Mix well & use as buttermilk
————
Comment from tester:
“This is one of the most moist cakes I’ve ever had!
(I attribute that to the addition of the buttermilk.”)

(recipe: Jane-justapinch.com)
————————————-

Black Bean & Mango Salsa

1 envelope Italian dressing mix
1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 (10 oz) pkg. frozen corn, thawed
1 C. chopped ripe mango
1/2 C. chopped red pepper
1/3 C. chopped red onion
1/3 C. chopped cilantro
1/4 C. lime juice
–
Mix all ingredients until well blended; cover.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Serve with grilled
chicken or tortilla chips.
Makes 32 (2 T.) servings.

NOTE:
To serve as a simple salad, add
1 1/2 C. cooked brown rice

(recipe: Kraft foods)
————————————–

Cheesy Salsa Mini-meatloaves

1 lb ground beef
1/2 C. finely chopped onion
1 egg
12 saltine crackers, finely crushed
(about 1/2 Cup)
1 1/2 C. Mexican-style finely shredded
Four cheese, divided (Kraft)
1 C. thick & chunky salsa, divided
–
Preheat oven 400 degrees F.
Mix first 4 ingredients with 1 C. cheese &
1/2 C. salsa; press into 12 muffin cups
sprayed with cooking spray. Use back of
spoon to make indentation in center of
each. Place muffin pan on foil-covered
baking sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes or until
meatloaves are done (160 degrees F). Top
with remaining salsa & cheese; bake 3
minutes more or until cheese is melted.
Makes 6 servings.

(recipe: Kraft foods)
—————————————

Cheesy Ham & Hash Brown Casserole

1 (32 oz) pkg. frozen hash brown potatoes
8 oz. cooked, diced ham
2 (10.75 oz, ea) cans cream of potato soup
1 (16 oz) container sour cream
2 C. shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
–
Preheat oven 375 degrees F.
Lightly grease a 9 X 13 baking dish. In
large bowl, mix hash browns, ham, soup,
sour cream & Cheddar cheese; spread
evenly into prepared dish. Sprinkle top
with Parmesan. Bake 1 hour until bubbly
& lightly browned.

(recipe: Mary Free-Marys Recipe Exchange)
—————————-

Dutch Oven Cheesy Potatoes

(or stove-top)

8 lb. russet potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced
10 slices bacon, chopped
1 large onion, diced
1/2 C. butter
salt & pepper
1 (16 oz) container sour cream
2 C. Cheddar cheese, shredded
–
Heat Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook
chopped bacon in D. oven a few minutes then
add onion; cook until bacon is slightly crisp &
onions are almost translucent. Add 3-4 T. butter;
stir & let melt in bacon & onions, add sliced
potatoes & stir to incorporate. Add 2-3 more
T. butter & generous helpings of salt & pepper.
Stir all so everything is evenly distributed. Cover &
let potatoes cook through, about 20 minutes,
stirring occasionally to make sure they don’t burn.
When potatoes are fork-tender, add the container
of sour cream & mix well. Top with Cheddar cheese,
cover & remove from heat. Once cheese has melted
& sour cream is heated through, it’s done. Serves 20.

(recipe: Jamiecooksitup!)

——————————————–

Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts,

pounded to 1/2 inch thickness

Lowry’s Seasoning Salt

6 bacon slices

1/4 cup regular mustard

1/3 cup honey

2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise

2 teaspoons dried onion flakes

1 cup sliced fresh mushroom

2 cup shredded Colby/Jack cheese

–

Sprinkle and rub the chicken breasts with seasoning

salt.Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While chicken is in refrigerator, cook bacon in a large

skillet until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside

 *Do not discard grease.*

Saute chicken in the bacon grease for 3- 5 minutes per side, or until browned. Place chicken in a 9″ – 13″ casserole dish or pan.

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.

Honey Mustard Sauce

 

 In a small bowl, mix mustard,honey, mayonnaise & dried

onion flakes. Spread some of the Honey Mustard over each

piece of chicken, then layer with mushrooms, crumbled bacon,

and shredded cheese. Bake 30 minutes, or until cheese is

melted and chicken is done.Serve with the left over Honey

Mustard Sauce that you made

 

(recipe: Facebook)

————————————————-

Peach-Almond Upside Down Cake

 

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp (plus more

for the pan)

1 1/2 C. sugar

4 medium peaches or nectarines, pitted & cut

into 6 wedges each

1 1/2 C. flour

1/2 C. whole almonds

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt2 large eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

3/4 C. milk

vanilla ice cream (optional)–

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 9-inch round cake pan.

Melt 1 T. butter in a medium skillet over

medium heat. Add 3/4 C. sugar & 1 T. water;

cook, stirring occasionally, until smooth &deep golden brown, 8-11 minutes. Pour mixture

into prepared pan & tilt to coat the bottom. Arrange

the peach wedges snugly in bottom of pan in a single layer, cutting to fit, if necessary.Combine flour, almonds, baking powder & salt in a food processor; pulse until almonds are finelyground. Beat remaining 7 T. butter & 3/4 C. sugar in large bowl with elec. mixer on medium-high until light & fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla & almond extracts. Beat in flour mixture in3 batches, alternating with milk & beginning & ending with flour mixture; beat in each addition until just incorporated. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan & bake until golden & a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool – 30 minutes. Invert onto a plate & let cool completely. Serve with ice cream. Makes 1 9-inch cake.

 (recipe: Food Network)

————————————-

Cheesy Bacon Bombs
(appetizers)

1 can (8ct.) Pillsbury Grands Flakey
Layers Biscuits
Cubed Mozzarella Cheese (1-1 inch cube
per Bomb)
2 lbs. of Bacon (1 slice per Bomb)
skewers or toothpicks
Oil for frying

Cube cheese & cut each biscuit into fourths.
Place one piece of cheese inside a biscuit
quarter & roll it up in there, nice and tight.
Wrap each rolled Bomb in a slice of bacon
& secure it with a skewer or toothpick.
In a med/large pot, heat up approx.
2 inches of Oil (to 350 degrees) and fry them
up in small batches; one or
two at a time – the oil will expand so
stay close. Drain on paper towels;
serve warm.

(recipe: Facebook)
———————————————

KFC Coleslaw

1/2 C. mayonnaise
1/3 C. sugar
1/4 C. milk
1/4 C. buttermilk
2 1/2 T.  lemon juice
1 1/2 T. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
8 C. finely chopped cabbage (approx. 1 head)
1/4 C. shredded carrot (1 medium carrot)
2 T. minced onion
–
Be sure cabbage and carrots are chopped into very
fine pieces (a little bigger than rice)Combine mayonnaise,
sugar, milk, buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and
pepper in large bowl; beat until smooth
Add cabbage, carrots, and onions; mix well.
Cover & refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
It’s even better overnight

(recipe: Facebook)
————————————————-

Amish Broccoli Salad

1 head broccoli, chopped
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 C. mayonnaise
1 C. sour cream
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 lb. bacon, fried and crumbled
1 C. shredded Cheddar cheese
–
Combine  chopped broccoli & cauliflower in 
large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine
mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, and salt to
make a creamy dressing. Add  dressing to
broccoli/cauliflower mix, stirring to evenly
coat the vegetables. Stir in the bacon & cheese,
reserving a small amount to sprinkle on top
of the salad just before serving.

(recipe: Facebook)
————————————-

Eggplant Dip

3 C. low fat Greek yogurt
1 large eggplant
1-2 small hot green chilies
4-5 big garlic cloves
1 inch ginger piece
1/2 C. roasted peanuts
2/3 tsp. dried yellow mustard
salt, to taste
1/2 C. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. oil (for roasting eggplant)
–
grilled pita bread, fresh veggies,
steamed rice – for dipping or on
top of rice
–
Apply some oil to eggplant. On medium
open flame, roast eggplant until the skin
is burnt & eggplant is soft. Makes sure it
gets roasted on every side; keep turning
so all sides get roasted. OR  roast in
pre-heated 350 degrees F. oven for
30-35 minutes until it is soft & roasted.
Once roasted, remove from flame/oven &
let cool before peeling off burnt skin &
removing stem from eggplant. In a mixing
bowl, mash eggplant using a fork; let it
cool down completely. In food processor,
add peanuts & process twice until it breaks
down into tiny pieces; remove to bowl
of mashed eggplant. Finely process green
chilies, garlic & ginger; add to eggplant
mixture. Mix in yogurt, season with salt &
mustard. Add chopped cilantro; mix well.
Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready
to serve. It tastes best when the flavors are
allowed to develop – if you have time, let it
set in refrigerator 1-2 hours. Once chilled,
give it a quick stir & garnish with peanuts
& chopped cilantro. Goes well with grilled
pita, fresh vegetables, steamed rice –
anything. Makes 1 large bowl.

NOTE: you can also mash the eggplant in
the food processor.
(recipe:

(recipe: Grishma-justapinch.com)
———————————-

Layered Caesar, Shrimp & Pasta Salad

1/4 C. creamy Caesar salad dressing
1/4 C. mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (6 oz) pkg. torn mixed salad greens,
divided
2 C. medium pasta shells, cooked & cooled
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
3/4 C. seasoned croutons
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1/2 lb. frozen, cooked & cleaned medium
shrimp, thawed
1/4 C. shredded Parmesan cheese
cracked black pepper (optional)
–
Mix dressing, mayonnaise & garlic. Layer
half salad greens, pasta & tomatoes in 3
qt. bowl. Cover with layers of remaining
greens, croutons, eggs, shrimp & cheese.
Refrigerate dressing mixture & salad
1 hour. Add dressing mixture to salad
just before serving; mix lightly. Add black
cracked pepper, if desired.
Serves 6, 2 C. each

NOTE: Salad & dressing can be refrigerated
up to 4 hours before tossing salad with
dressing just before serving.

(recipe: Kraft foods)
—————————————-

Waffle Iron Cookies

1/2 C. margarine
4 T. baking cocoa, heaped
2 eggs
3/4 C. granulated sugar
1 C. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

(optional: cake frosting)
–
Heat waffle iron.
In medium bowl, melt margarine & cocoa.
Stir in eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla & salt. Drop
by teaspoonsful onto hot waffle iron, baking
several at a time, about 45 seconds. Cool
then frost, if desired. Makes 15 or more.

(recipe: Marsha-justapinch.com)
==========================

Yesterday was a rather quiet day – youngest son was at work, middle son is now in his own apartment and husband attended a funeral visitation, leaving me ALONE in the house! I was able to enjoy watching (for the second time) the movie: “Out of Africa” (Meryl Streep/Robert Redford) which I had alluded to in previous posts. It’s definitely a ‘chick flick’ but I greatly enjoyed it; from the lush landscapes to the whole tone of the movie, it was very enjoyable (I’d highly recommend it!).

I’m currently ambling along on baby blanket #4 for the Detroit Veteran’s Hospital’s Baby Shower coming in September; this time out I’m ‘taking my time’, knowing I HAVE time to complete it.

How’s your Weather? Here it’s HOT (in the mid 90’s) and very humid – makes it feel more like the 100’s than the 90’s. I’m very happy to have air conditioning both in the car and home. (Husband & I, for years, have an on-going ‘argument’ over the temperatures: He likes it COLD, I’m not so much for freezing. I sit at my computer with 2 bath towels in front of the desk opening (there’s a vent right there, blowing cold air on my legs), and if it gets REALLY unbearable, I also throw over a heavy sweatshirt, just to keep my ankles warm – weird, eh? Oh well – could be something MUCH worse to argue over, right?

Gas Prices – how are yours lately? We went from an acceptable $3.49/9 up to $3.89/9 and RISING! Crazy! And, it usually figures, when they’re LOW, guess who DOESN’T need gas BUT let them get really high and suddenly I’m almost on fumes! Do YOU ever do that?

Well, friends, this one’s getting really long so I’d better close for now.

Enjoy your day!

Hugs;

Pammie

PS: Almost forgot: Am kind of ‘getting the idea’ of the tatting – I was cruising along with the video, made the ‘circle’, joined it – make the ‘chain and connected it (end of that video). I was SO proud of actually DOING what was shown that I cut off the thread to show to husband. A few seconds later in the video the lady says: “Now, don’t cut your thread, as we’ll be continuing with this in the next video!” SIGH! I put it down and decided to wait for another day (it takes a lot of concentration and, although I’m happy I’m understanding it, I don’t see me making anything BIG with these skills any time in the near future!) I actually only want to make ONE pair of earrings with this, but we’ll see. (I’ve picked up the project again the next day, but couldn’t seem to create the same nice, crisp stitches I had the day before – looks like I’ll ‘be at it’ for awhile . . . sigh. Learning patience – the HARD way! (grin)

Having Fun . . . Sort of

Well, after the last post you learned that I’m ‘attempting’ to learn how to TAT (Tatting: the art of making lace using a shuttle or needle). A knitting friend of mine graciously lent me her tatting ‘kit’ from when she was a child and I began watching YouTube videos, attempting to learn to SHUTTLE tat (the common way to tat) – this was NOT working! My fingers and/or my fingernails got in the way – constantly. I tried, cut off the thread after an attempt and started again – and again, etc. – no go. Finally I decided to see what the NEEDLE tatting method was like – well, SUCCESS! It produces the same results as the shuttle method, but for me, it’s easier! The video shows the lady using a tatting needle (which I didn’t have) BUT I was able to locate a very old needle (which belonged to my husband’s Mom) and use that. (His comment: “That’s a sailor’s needle, used to repair sails & canvas!”) Well, I’m no sailor and certainly am not repairing sails, but it works for me – for now. A regular tatting needle is long and blunt (this sailor’s needle is long – and VERY sharp! I have to be very careful I don’t ‘miss’ and prick my fingers – makes me very diligent, for sure!). When you ‘get the hang of it’, you can create some very pretty lace – or, as in my case, some bookmarks or earrings (that’s the total extent of my desires in that field – I’m not like my Grandmother, who died before I was born; who used to cover all pillowcases, bed sheets, towels, etc. with gorgeous tatted lace. She would take a top bed sheet, remove the folded over top hem, then tat a good 4 inches of lace, then sew the top hem back on, creating a sheet with very pretty lace at the top. All our bath towels got the same treatment: the top and bottom edges were covered in a good 2 inches of lace – very feminine. I’m just hoping I can create even ONE earring – but we’ll see . . .it’s a challenge and I love ‘attempting’ new things.

Right now I’m awaiting the arrival of my 7 yr. old grandson who will be with us for the day. My husband just located the connecting cords for our old Nintendo 64 system; that ought to be fun – grandson loves playing games. He should enjoy several Super Mario games – we’ll see. Since middle son moved out (with several of his various game systems) it’s just not the same around here – even youngest son was attempting to locate & connect any system left here (with no luck).  I managed to locate the controller for the GameCube (very old system) – not sure if we have all the cords for that one (that was a ‘filler’ for middle son; at the time his other system died and he decided to purchase the GameCube – it was cheap and there were about 6 games for it, so it kept him happy – for awhile). Our wild blackberries are ripe now and that’s another of our grandson’s favorite things to do – locate the ripe ones, pick them (wash them off) then eat them with Cool Whip. He was here on Tuesday and we were able to find enough for two small bowls – hopefully there will be more today – we’ll see.

==============

Oriental Ramen Broccoli Cole Slaw

2 (3 oz. ea) pkgs beef-flavor ramen noodles
2 (8 1/2 oz,ea) pkgs broccoli coleslaw mix
1 C. toasted slivered almonds
1 C. sunflower seed
1/2 bunch green onion, chopped
1/2 C. sugar
3/4 C. oil
1/3 C. white vinegar
–
Before opening noodles, crush into 1 inch pieces.
Open packages and set aside flavor packets.
Place noodles in bottom of large serving bowl.
Top noodles with broccoli slaw, then sprinkle with
almonds and sunflower kernels, and green onions.
In a separate bowl combine sugar, oil, vinegar, and
flavor packets from noodles. Pour over slaw, cover;
chill up to 24 hours.Toss before serving.

(recipe: Facebook)
————————————————-

Red Lobster’s Cheese Biscuit ‘Loaf’

3 C. flour
1 T. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. black pepper
4 oz. Cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 1/4 C. milk
3/4 C. sour cream
3 T. butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
–
Preheat oven  350 degrees F.
Grease 9×5 loaf pan with oil. In a bowl, whisk
together the first 5 ingredients. Carefully stir in
 cheese cubes until covered in flour mixture, this
will help prevent your cheese sinking to the
bottom of your loaf of bread. In a different bowl,
whisk together the remaining ingredients. Fold
the wet mixture into the flour and cheese mixture,
stir until just combined, do not over stir. Spread
the mixture into the loaf pan. Bake for 45-50
minutes. Let cool 10 minutes and then remove
from pan. Allow to cool for one hour before slicing
and serving.

(recipe: Facebook)
———————————————

Mexican Stuffed Shells

1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 pkg. taco seasoning
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
16 jumbo pasta shells
1 1/2 C. salsa
1 C. taco sauce
1 C. Cheddar cheese
1 C. Monterrey jack cheese

Toppings:
3 green onions, chopped
chopped green or black olives
Sour cream
–
Preheat oven 350°.
In skillet brown  ground beef; add taco seasoning
& prepare according to pkg. directions. Add cream
cheese, cover & simmer until cheese is melted. Stir
 together and mix well. Set aside and cool completely.
While ground beef is cooking, cook  pasta shells according
to package directions; drain. Set shells out individually on
cutting board or baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.
Pour salsa on bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each shell
with 1-2 tablespoons of  meat mixture. Place shells in
9×13 pan open side up. Evenly cover shells with taco sauce.
Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and
 bake for 10-15 more minutes with the foil removed. Top with
onions, olives, if desired. Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.
Yield: 16 shells

(recipe: Facebook)
—————————————-

Honey Mustard Chicken Bites
(4 hour or overnight recipe)

1 1/2 C. milk
2 eggs
1 T. salt
3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
cut into bite sized pieces
2 1/2 C. flour
1/4 C. powdered sugar
4 tsp. salt
1 T. pepper
oil for frying

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:
1/2 C. mayonnaise
2 T. yellow prepared mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. vinegar
1 T. honey
dash paprika
–
In bowl, mix milk, eggs & 1 T. salt; add chicken
pieces & cover. Marinate at least 4 hours or
overnight. In another bowl, mix flour, powdered
sugar, 4 tsp. salt & 1 T. pepper. Add some chicken
pieces to large ziplock bag; add some of flour
mixture & shake to coat. Fry in batches,
375 degrees F. deep fryer or large Dutch oven.
Cook 3-4 minutes, drain on paper towels or wire
rack.

Sauce:
Mix mayonnaise, mustard, garlic powder, vinegar,
honey & paprika in small bowl. Cover & refrigerate
before serving with chicken bites.

(recipe: Dee-justapinch.com)
——————————————–

Jalapeno Dip

16 oz. sour cream
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. bag shredded Cheddar cheese
1 small jar jalapeno peppers (less
if you don’t want it spicy)
2 T. chopped parsley
1 T. garlic powder
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 bunch green onions, diced
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
–
crackers or fresh veggies, for
dipping
–
Combine all ingredients; refrigerate
overnight. Serve with crackers or
fresh veggies. Serves 8-10

(recipe: Laura: justapinch.com)
————————————-

Lettuce Wedges w/Blue Cheese Dressing

juice of 1 large lemon
1 C. mayonnaise
1 C. buttermilk
1/2 C. sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
6 oz. blue cheese, crumbled (about 1 1/2 C.)
2 heads Iceberg lettuce
10 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 medium tomato, finely diced
freshly ground black pepper
–
In medium bowl, combine lemon juice, mayonnaise,
buttermilk, sour cream, garlic & onion powders;
whisk together until smooth. Add cheese & mix just
until blended. Chill in an airtight container in refrigerator
at least 2 hours before serving.
Core & quarter each head of lettuce. Place each quarter
on a dinner plate, place a generous dollop of dressing
over each wedge, then top with bacon & tomato, season
with black pepper. Serves 8

(recipe: Trisha Yearwood/Food Network)
——————————————-

Rancher’s Steak w/ Grilled Peppers & Onions

1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. chili powder
1 beef sirloin steak (1 lb), 1 inch thick*
1 red pepper, cut lengthwise, into quarters
1 yellow pepper, cut lengthwise, into quarters
1 red onion, cut crosswise into 4 slices
1/3 C. barbecue sauce
–
Heat grill to medium-high heat.
Mix garlic & chili powder until blended; rub evenly
onto both sides of steak. Grill steak & vegetables
12-14 minutes or until steak is medium doneness
(160 degrees F.) and vegetables are tender, turning
steak after 7 minutes, turning vegetables occasionally
and brushing all with barbecue sauce for last 5
minutes. Remove steak & vegetables from grill, let
steak stand 5 minutes before slicing to serve with
veggies. Serves 4

*Can be prepared with other types of steak, such as:
strip loin, t-bone, rib-eye, porterhouse or tenderloin

(recipe: Kraft foods)
—————————————-

No Bake Peanut Butter Chow Mein
Noodle Cookies

3/4 C. chunky peanut butter
3/4 pkg. chow mein noodles, any size
1 small bag marshmallows
1/4 C. butter or margarine
1 pkg. butter scotch morsels (any
size, add more or less accordg. to taste)
3 medium chocolate candy bars, melted,
for drizzle
–
Lay out sheets of waxed paper on counter.
Melt butter in 5 qt. saucepan, swirling to coat
sides & bottom. Over Low heat, add peanut
butter & 1/2 bag of butterscotch morsels; stir
until melted. Add marshmallows, stirring
quickly & add chow mein noodles & remaining
ingredients, stirring quickly just until mixed well.
Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper (making
the size your choice). Cool 1 hour. Drizzle
with melted chocolate, making a big dollop in
the middle of each cookie. Cool & place in
covered container.

(recpe: Deborah – justapinch.com)
———————————-

Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting

1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 C. heavy cream
–
Combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla & almond
extracts in a large mixing bowl or bowl of a
stand mixer. Fix mixer with whisk attachment &
mix, on medium speed, until smooth. While
mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in heavy
cream. Stop & scrape bottom of bowl a few
times while whipping, until cream can hold a
stiff peak. Serves 12

Comment from poster: “This frosting does not
melt at room temperature. Makes a great dip
for fruit. Good for a stand mixer, but will work
with any good mixer”

(recipe: Sally)
=========================================

Our weather is really nice for this time of year: right now it’s sunny and 64 degrees; I’m sure, later, it will climb into the 80’s, but that’s OK, too.

How are your Gas Prices lately? The other day I was pleasantly surprised to see they were in the $3.49/9 range but then: next day up to $3.69/9 and later the same day: $3.79/9 – what’s with THAT? It usually figures that when I need gas – it’s gone UP, not down . . . sigh.

I’m going to close for now – hope you have a pleasant and restful day!

Hugs;

Pammie

PS: Forgot to mention – the other day while driving and listening to the radio, I heard a GORGEOUS piece of music (thought I’d share with you). The music is the theme song from the 1985  movie: “Out of Africa” (with Meryl Streep & Robert Redford)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwhxhywkPbs

I Must Be Crazy

I don’t know about you, but occasionally I take ‘flight’ off the beaten path and decide I need to expand my horizons by learning new things. This week I was thinking back on those crafts I’d observed at Log Cabin Days, one of which was tatting. Tatting is the art of Lace Making, using very fine thread and an lozenge-shaped object called a shuttle. My grandmother was a very talented lady who knew how to knit, crochet AND tat; our linen closet was filled with pillow cases, bed sheets and towels all edged in beautiful, delicate lace made by hand. I’m not sure exactly ‘why’, but after thinking about what I’d seen, I decided to check out good old YouTube and see if there might be some beginner tatting lessons – sure enough, there are tons! There’s shuttle tatting AND (something I never heard of before): needle tatting. Since tatting is almost a ‘lost art’, supplies are rather hard to come by. I posted an email to the ladies in my knit/crochet group, asking them if they possessed tatting shuttles, and could I borrow them – one of my ladies brought her whole ‘kit’ and said: “Have at it!” She hadn’t tatted since she was about 9, having learned from her aunts. Today was my ‘Adventure in Learning to Tat’! I got out the thread, shuttle and began watching (over & over AND OVER) Lesson 1 – let’s just say, it was VERY FRUSTRATING! Yes, I’m aware, learning anything new makes you feel awkward and uncoordinated, BUT my hands just weren’t cooperating – I was very frustrated. That got me to thinking: I wonder what the NEEDLE tatting is like? Cruised on over to the needle tatting videos and was surprised that I actually was catching on! This requires using a ‘needle’ which looks like a sewing needle for a giant – they’re about the size of a knitting needle with a hole in the end just like a regular needle. Normally I wouldn’t possess anything like that, but I went upstairs and brought down my Mother-in-Law’s old sewing box and found a rather large (not as big as the ‘real thing’) sewing needle and some sewing ‘#8 sewing cord – I figured it was worth a try, anyway (instead of trying to locate this type of supplies in a store here). After watching the needle tatting video over & over, etc. I found I was actually able to ‘catch on’ to what she was doing! Amazing! Now, mind you – tatting is making VERY TINY stitches – after about 3 minutes of work you have about 10 stitches put on a needle, then you pull the thread and it closes up to make a ‘ring’ – a VERY SMALL ring. These ‘rings’ are made and joined, ad infinitum (Latin for ‘to infinity’) to make ‘things/objects’ like bookmarks, doilies, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, etc. IF I ever get good enough, I’d like to attempt to make a pair of earrings – just to say I did it! We’ll see . . . so far it’s a project ‘in my mind’ only. I’ll attempt to post, below, several pictures of the finished items I’m talking about.

    

That’s my ‘crazy sceme’ for today – we’ll see where it leads.

I DID finish the lace shawl for my friend; since I thought of using the tiny clear beads about HALF-WAY through the project, I ended up hand-sewing the beads on after finishing the shawl. I’m happy the way it turned out; took it to knit/crochet night last night to hear the other ladies comments – they really liked it, especially the way the self-striping yarn worked up.

========================

The colors didn’t come through in the photos – it goes from dark purple, to lighter purple to a medium green to white, then back to the purples

This is a close up of the middle, (hopefully) showing the tiny crystal beads sewn onto the middle seam

======================

Honey-Peanut Butter Cookies

–
1/2 C. shortening
1 C. creamy peanut butter
1 C. honey
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 C. flour
1 C. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
–
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Mix shortening, peanut butter &
honey in bowl. Add eggs; mix well.
Combine flour, sugar, baking soda,
baking powder & salt; add slowly
to peanut butter mixture; mix well.
Roll into 1 – 1 1/2 inch balls, place
on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten
with a fork dipped in flour. Bake
8-10 minutes. Makes 5 dozen.

(recipe: Rhonda G-Marys Recipe Exchange)
——————————-

Peanut-crusted Chicken Breasts

–
1 T. olive oil
3/4 C. unsalted peanuts
3 slices white bread, torn into small pieces
coarse salt & ground pepper
2 large eggs
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
6-8 oz, ea)
1 1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed
1 t. butter
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
–
Preheat oven 475 degrees F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum
foil; lightly oil it & set aside. In a food
processor, pulse peanuts & bread until
coarsely ground. Transfer to a wide rimmed
medium bowl; whisk in oil, 1 1/2 tsp. salt,
& 1/4 tsp. pepper. In a large bowl, beat eggs;
season generously with salt & pepper. Add
chicken & turn to coat. One piece at a time,
dredge in peanut breading, gently pressing
onto chicken; transfer to prepared baking
sheet. Bake until lightly browned & just
cooked through, about 15 minutes. While
chicken is baking, cook asparagus in a large
saucepan of boiling salted water until tender,
3-4 minutes, depending on thickness. Drain
& transfer to a bowl along with butter &
lemon zest; season with salt & pepper &
toss to combine. Serve chicken with
asparagus. Serves 4

(recipe: Martha Stewart Living)
——————————————

Salmon Fettuccine with Dill

1 (14.75 oz) can salmon, drained & flaked,
bones & skin removed
1 (16 oz) pkg. fettuccinne pasta noodles
2 T. olive oil
1/2 C. flour
3 C. milk
2 T. sherry (or water)
2 T. chopped green onions
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. dill weed
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 t. grated Parmesan cheese
–
Prepare pasta accordg. to pkg. directions;
set aside. Pour olive oil in saucepan over medium
heat. Combine flour & milk; mix well, pour into
saucepan. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally
until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Add sherry,
salmon, green onions, mustard, dill, pepper & garlic
salt. Cook 2-3 minutes until heated through. Divide
pasta & spoon salmon mixture over pasta. Garnish
with parsley & Parmesan. Serves 4

(recipe: Bumble Bee Co.)
—————————————-

Macaroni Salad

8 oz. dry macaroni, uncooked (2 C)
2/3 C. frozen green peas
3/4 C. mayonnaise
1 T. spicy brown mustard (Dijon)
1/3 C. chopped celery
1/3 C. diced Cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
–
Cook macaroni accordg to pkg. directions,
omitting salt. Add peas the last 2 minutes
of cook time or until thawed. Drain & rinse
under cold water until cold. Stir together
mayonnaise & mustard in large bowl. Add
celery, cheese, salt & pepper. Add cooled
pasta & peas  to mixture, stir gently to
combine. Serves 6 (about 2/3 C. each)

(recipe: readyseteat!)
————————————

Pimiento Cheese Spread
Trisha Yearwood

2 (7 oz, ea) jars sliced pimientos, drained
3 (10 oz, ea) bricks sharp Cheddar cheese, finely
shredded
1 C. mayonnaise
–
Place drained pimientos in blender or food processor;
puree until almost smooth. In very large bowl, using
elec. mixer, combine cheese & pimiento, beating until
almost smooth. Beat in mayonnaise. Spread may be
stored, covered, in refrigerator for up to a week. Remove
spread from fridge & allow to reach room temp. before
serving. Makes 32 servings.

(recipe: BH & G magazine, July, 2013)
————————————-

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Grilled Corn with Spicy Lime Mayo

4 ears corn on the cob, husks & silks
removed
1/4 C. mayonnaise
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
1 green onion, chopped
4 tsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne
–
Heat grill to medium heat. Grill corn
15 minutes or until tender, turning
occasionally; cool completely. Cut
kernels from cob. Mix remaining
ingredients in medium bowl then
stir in corn. Serves 6 (1/2 C. ea)

To Remove Kernels:
Place a soup bowl upside-down inside
a larger bowl. Stand ear of corn on
bottom of bowl, run a sharp knife in
downward motion, turning cob as
necessary to remove kernels from
all sides of each cob

(recipe: Kraft Foods)
————————————–

Cranberry Cashew Chicken
(crockpot or oven)

2 1/2 – 3 lbs chicken breast (if using  crock-pot,
you can use frozen breasts/tenders)

1 C. Catalina Salad Dressing (or Russian)

1 (14 oz) can Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1/2 C. Cashews (unsalted, roasted)

Rice (Brown, White) cooked according to package

 

Crock-Pot

Lightly spray crock-pot with non-stick cooking spray.
Place chicken in a single layer. Mix all of the ingredients,
EXCEPT the cashews. Pour mixture over chicken
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours for frozen chicken.
Fresh chicken breasts take around 4 hours.
Each crock-pot is different, be sure chicken is cooked.

Serve over rice and top with cashews.
=========

Oven

Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Mix Catalina dressing,
cranberry sauce, Lipton soup mix. Lightly spray a 9×13
baking dish. Place a small amount of the cranberry
mixture on the bottom of the baking dish. Next, place
(thawed) chicken breast in single layer on top of sauce.
Pour remainder of  mixture over chicken.
Bake uncovered for 60-70 minutes or until temperature
(thickest part of breast) reaches 165 degrees f.
Remove, serve over rice, top with cashews

NOTE:

*This recipe is even better if you marinade the chicken in the cranberry mixture for several hours or overnight before baking.

(recipe: http://www.sweetlittlebluebird.com)
———————————————-

Peach-Almond Upside Down Cake

 

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp (plus more

for the pan)

1 1/2 C. sugar

4 medium peaches or nectarines, pitted & cut

into 6 wedges each

1 1/2 C. flour

1/2 C. whole almonds

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

3/4 C. milk

vanilla ice cream (optional)

–

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.

 Lightly butter a 9-inch round cake pan.

Melt 1 T. butter in a medium skillet over

medium heat. Add 3/4 C. sugar & 1 T. water;

cook, stirring occasionally, until smooth &

deep golden brown, 8-11 minutes. Pour mixture

into prepared pan & tilt to coat the bottom. Arrange

the peach wedges snugly in bottom of pan in a

single layer, cutting to fit, if necessary.

Combine flour, almonds, baking powder & salt in

a food processor; pulse until almonds are finely

ground. Beat remaining 7 T. butter & 3/4 C. sugar

in large bowl with elec. mixer on medium-high

until light & fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one

at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in

vanilla & almond extracts. Beat in flour mixture in

3 batches, alternating with milk & beginning & ending

with flour mixture; beat in each addition until just

incorporated. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan &

bake until golden & a toothpick inserted into center

comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer to rack

too cool – 30 minutes. Invert onto a plate & let cool

completely. Serve with ice cream. Makes 1 9-inch cake.

 

(recipe: Food Network)

=============================

Weather-wise it’s been rather wet around here; last night during Knit/Crochet Night we had a pretty good rain storm followed by a really nice rainbow. Later on that evening we had a HUGE downpour – almost like the one a week or so ago that caused so much flooding. It was really a POUNDING rain – I had to check our basement several times to make sure it wasn’t pouring in UNDER the window bottom like it did a few weeks ago. Glad that’s done – it’s nice & sunny right now, temps 77 – am hoping to take the shawl outside to photograph it a bit later in the day, then will post here.

Oh – son/first car/accident – called the court and the lady said: “$150 and 2 points. I said we’d like to speak with the judge, she said: “Why?” (me) “So we can see if the judge will take off the points – this is a brand new driver.” She then told me judges DON’T take off points, so I asked what else we could do. She said we could speak to the prosecutor about it, so I said: “Let’s do that.” They’re sending us a postcard in the next 3 weeks with a date & time; sure hoping this helps, even a little. Youngest son is very upset that, even though (technically) he caused the accident by ‘obstructing traffic’, he DIDN’T hit the other guy, the guy hit him! For him to lose his first car AND then have to pay $150 PLUS 2 points, let’s just say he’s VERY upset. We were fortunate to be able to get $200 from the scrap dealer for his car BUT then to have to pay $150 of that back to the court – not a good thing.

Going to close here, get dressed then see about photographing the shawl.

Enjoy your day!!!

Hugs;

Pammie

Enjoying it while I can!!!

Right now the house is VERY quiet – and I’m LOVIN’ IT!!! My husband decided to go visit some friends of his (he hasn’t seen them in a few years – great idea!), youngest is at work for another hour, middle son is either working or at his new apartment and I’m here ALL BY MY LONESOME! Got some housecleaning done (that’s hard to do with guys constantly around), straightened up the house, and even baked a dessert! Will include the recipe (think I might already have posted it, but it’s the first time I’ve made it): 2 ingredient pineapple dessert bars. Haven’t tasted them yet but they smell really good!  (just tasted them – forget the recipe – they’re kind of rubbery, not much flavor, that’s NOT a keeper)

For who knows what reason, yesterday I was feeling equally productive; got lots of things done I’d put off, like finishing all the laundry, ironing about 12 of my tops & 3 prs. of slacks (I put off ironing as much as I can, even with air conditioning). Managed to glue together a little dragon statue that belongs to middle son (it got broken during his move back home) – it looks great now. He also has a very large dragon statue (same thing happened to it, but I thought he didn’t have the pieces – turns out they’re at his previous apartment with his friend, somewhere. I told him to get them and I’ll do my best). Oh, also made a pair of green earrings – been putting that one off for months! I needed at least one pair of green earrings, have several outfits in shades of green, but nothing to go with them (usually end up wearing either gold or tiny pearl studs). Made salmon patties, baked potatoes & tossed salad for dinner – husband is feeling better after his oral surgery and was able to eat the patties & potatoes – that’s good!

Made a bunch of phone calls today attempting to get appointments set up, like with the scrap metal company we’re hoping will buy youngest son’s now wrecked car (they’re not open until Monday). Out of 4 phone calls, only one place was open – guess lots of places are taking the LONG holiday weekend.

How are your gas prices doing? Ours were down to $3.33/9, think it was Tuesday, and I was thinking I’d wait one more day . . . dumb idea; now they’re up to $3.59/9. I DO have a coupon for 30 cents off per gallon at Speedway, so am going to use that one tomorrow, as I’m down to a quarter tank. With the coupon, that will take it down to a price I’m more willing to pay!

Knitting: Almost done with scarf – tried it on myself today and it fits me just fine BUT the person I’m making it for is a larger/taller lady, so I’m going to go with my initial idea of knitting another half-skein just to be sure. I’m not sure if this is the longest-running knit project I’ve ever done, but if it isn’t, it sure is a good contender! I’ve been working on this for over a month now (sorry for complaining).  Will show you a photo as soon as it’s done – promise!

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Chocolate Cream Cheese Pudding Dessert

 

Crust:

1/2 C. finely chopped pecans

1 C. flour

3/4 C. brown sugar

1/2 C. butter, softened

dash salt

 

Cream Cheese Layer:

12 oz. cream cheese (1 1/2 pkgs), softened

1 1/2 C. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

dash salt

1 1/2 C. Cool Whip, thawed

 

Pudding layer:

1 (6 oz) box chocolate instant pudding mix

3 C. cold milk

 

Cream layer:

3-4 C. Cool Whip, thawed

—-

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.

Place 1 C. flour, 3/4 C. brown sugar, 1/2 C.

softened butter & chopped in medium-sized

mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender or fork,

mix ingredients together. (there should still

be clumps of butter throughout the mix-it

should look like coarse crumbs). Spray a

9 X 13 baking pan with nonstick spray then

sprinkle mixture in, pressing gently down

with fingers. Bake 10 minutes or until

crust is golden brown. Remove from oven &

let cool 5 minutes. While it is still warm,

using a spatula break the crust into pieces

then press back down with spatula & let

cool completely. In medium bowl, place

pudding mix & 3 C. cold milk; beat with

elec. mixer until thick. In another medium-

sized bowl, place cream cheese, powdered

sugar, vanilla & dash of salt; beat using elec.

mixer, until well combined & smooth. Add

1 1/2 C. thawed Cool Whip to mixture & beat

until well combined. Carefully spoon cream

cheese layer onto cooled crust. Using a knife,

gently spread over crust. Cover cream cheese

layer with pudding, spreading to make even.

Place 4 C. thawed Cool Whip on top of

pudding layer & smooth out. Cover pan with

plastic wrap & let chill at least 1 hour.

Makes 15 servings.

 

NOTE: I have had this dessert and it is absolutely

‘to die for’ good!

 

(recipe: Jamiecooksitup!)

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PIZZA BALLS

–

3 cans Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits (10 ct)

60 pepperoni slices (2 per biscuit)

Block of cheese (Colby/Monterey Jack or Chedder)

1 beaten egg

Parmesan Cheese

Italian Seasoning

Garlic Powder

1 jar pizza sauce

–

Preheat oven 425 degrees F.

Slice cheese into approx. 28 squares. Flatten each

biscuit;stack pepperoni & cheese on top in center

of each biscuit. Gather edges of biscuit & twist to

securel. Line rolls in greased 9×13 pan Brush with

beaten egg. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, Italian

seasoning and garlic powder. Bake 18 to 20 mins.

Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.
(recipe: Facebook)
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Crockpot Citrus Chicken

 

2 very ripe lemons

1 orange

2 T. soy sauce

1/4 C. cornstarch

2 chicken bouillon cubes

3 C. water

2 T. curry powder

1 pinch salt

1/4 C. sugar

1 egg, well-beaten

1 lb. chicken tenderloins (frozen)

3 carrots, shredded

 

Suggestion:

1 head cabbage, shredded & pan fried

with butter

cooked rice or noodles

–

Squeeze juice out of lemons & orange

into crockpot (removing any seeds). Add egg,

soy sauce, curry powder, bouillon cubes, sugar,

salt & cornstarch into water. Add chicken. Shred

carrots directly into crockpot. Cook on High

3 hours. Serve over suggested fried cabbage &

rice or noodles. Serves 4-6

 

(recipe: Theresa – justapinch.com)

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Spinach & Dill Spread/Dip

–

1 (6 oz) bag Fresh Baby Spinach
8 oz cream cheese

4 oz  Feta, crumbled

2 Cloves Garlic, mined

3 Green Onions, chopped

1 T.Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 T. Fresh Dill (more if you like)

1 T. Fresh Lemon Juice

In sauce pan, heat olive oil on medium
heat, add garlic, green onion and spinach.
Cook, stirring spinach continuously for
approximately 5minutes until done.
Remove from pan, drain any excess liquid.
Chop spinach and place in large mixing bowl.
Add remaining ingredients; mix until blended well. Place in fridge and allow to chill for a few hours
Enjoy with your favorite crackers, breads, bagels and veggies!

http://www.sweetlittlebluebird.com

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BAKED CHEESE & BROCCOLI PATTIES

–

2 tsp. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic – minced
1/2 onion – chopped
1 (12 oz) bag frozen broccoli – defrosted
3/4 C. panko breadcrumbs
1/2 C. sharp Cheddar cheese
1/3 C. Parmesan cheese
2 eggs – beaten
salt/pepper

Preheat oven 400 degrees F..
Lightly grease a baking sheet lined with
aluminum foil. Heat  oil in a small pan over
medium heat, add in the garlic and onions.
Season with salt/pepper to taste. Saute until
onions are garlic are tender, set aside to cool.
Add broccoli to a kitchen towel. Wrap towel around
broccoli and squeeze out the extra moisture. Pour
the drained broccoli into a large bowl, add
onion and garlic and mix gently. To the same bowl,
add the panko, cheeses, eggs, and salt/pepper to taste.
Mix together & form into patties, place on prepared

baking sheet.Bake  15 minutes. Flip and bake for

another 15 minutes or
until browned and crispy.

(recipe: Facebook)
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Corn, Avocado & Tomato Salad

2 C. cooked corn, fresh or frozen
1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 C. finely diced red onion

Dressing:
2 T. olive oil
1/2 tsp. grated lime zest
1 T. fresh lime juice
1/4 C. chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
–
Combine corn, avocado, tomatoes &
onion in large glass bowl. Mix together
dressing ingredients in another
bowl; pour dressing over salad &
gently toss to mix. Serves 4-6

(recipe: Paula Dean-Food Network)
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Chicken Wings in Peanut Sauce
(broiler)

24 disjointed chicken wings, tips discarded
garlic salt
onion salt
freshly ground black pepper

Peanut Sauce:

1/4 C. peach preserves
1/4 C. whipping cream
1/4 C. peanut butter
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice
–
Preheat broiler. Sprinkle wings with garlic &
onion salts & pepper. Place on rack; broil
4-6 inches from heat until crisp & brown. Serve
hot or at room temperature.
Sauce: Combine all ingredients in food
processor; process and serve at room temp.

(recipe: Rhonda G-Marys Recipe Exchange)
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Buttermilk Biscuits
Trisha Yearwood

4 T. vegetable shortening (Crisco)
2 C. self-rising flour
3/4 C. buttermilk, well-shaken
–
Preheat oven 450 degrees F.
Lightly grease baking sheet with nonstick spray.
Using pastry blender or 2 table knives, cut shortening
into flour until it resembles coarse meal. Use a fork to
stir in buttermilk to make a soft dough or until dough
comes together & leaves sides of bowl. Continue
stirring with fork until all flour is worked into the
dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured work
surface; knead 3-4 times until smooth & manageable.
Using your hands or floured rolling pin, flatten dough
to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Cut with a 2 1/2 inch floured
biscuit cutter. Reroll dough for more biscuits, if
necessary. Place biscuit rounds on the baking sheet
1 inch apart for crisp biscuits or almost touching
for softer biscuits. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until
lightly browned. Makes 12 servings.

(recipe: BH & G magazine, July, 2013
=================================

Well, it’s almost time for me to drive over & pick up youngest son from his work – yep, “Taxi Driver Mom” has now resumed.

Hope you’re enjoying your holiday/week-end!

Hugs;

Pammie

Not Even Two Weeks . . .

Just got home from picking up youngest son – his first car (a beater) and his first accident. He’s OK, car’s totaled. He was on the main highway close to where we live, attempting to pull out into the turn lane (2 lanes away) – cars in oncoming traffic let him in, just as he was getting into turn lane, a BIG pick up came barreling down the turn lane about 35 MPH and hit him head on. I repeat – he’s fine, very upset, but physically fine. After dealing with the police, insurance company and tow company, we finally got the total damage – it’s totaled. We’re going to wait until Friday to call a company recommended by the place we had it towed to (also the place where he bought the car, from one of the employee’s daughter) to have them scrap it. Sad situation AND, by Michigan law, even though he didn’t do the hitting, he was ‘at fault’ – for obstructing traffic. We’ll have to arrange an appointment with the local court to (hopefully) not have any points put on his brand new record – it depends on the judge, the officer said. OH! I must say-I also called AAA to give commendations to both their representative who took our initial accident call AND the tow company AND their driver. AAA was very professional (as always) and FAST! Their tow driver got to us BEFORE the police! AND the tow driver got out of his great big tow truck with two dripping, really cold bottles of WATER! I was VERY impressed and told him so. (when I called AAA back to tell them, they said they’re trying to be more ‘customer friendly’ – I told them, after standing in the hot 84 degree sun for 1 1/2 hours, that was the MOST welcome site – really cold bottled water! Isn’t that neat???

On another note, husband made it through the teeth surgery just fine, earlier today. It’s rather odd, but after we got home from the oral surgeon I was sitting in my recliner reading a book and  ‘oberserving’ how pleasant it was to have both sons sort of ‘on their own’ – AND I didn’t even voice it OUT LOUD! Oh well, now I return to playing taxi service for youngest until he can save up enough money to get another car.

Anther ‘new’ note-middle son finally moved out yesterday! THAT was a crazy, busy day, for sure. It took three vehicles, all driving in tandem, to get him to his new location – a townhouse about 15 minutes from our house. Hopefully, THIS TIME, he will be able to enjoy where he is and STAY there! (he moved out in December and moved back in first week in January a little less than a month later; you just never know . . . )

====================

Stir-fry Spicy Chicken Tenders

–

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders

1 T. cooking oil

1 frozen bell pepper & onion mix

–

Combine sugar, paprika, salt, pepper & cayenne

in medium bowl; add chicken & toss to coat. Cover

& refrigerate 15 minutes or overnight. Heat oil in

large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add pepper &

onion mix; cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies

are soft, 5-7 minutes. Add chicken; cook, stirring,

until no longer pink in center, 3-5 minutes. Serve

hot. Serves 4.

 

VARIATION:

Make stir-fried spicy beef using 1 lb. of stir-fry

beef thinly sliced top round steak instead of chicken.

 

(recipe: Peg-Marys Recipe Exchange)

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Garlic Lemon Chicken w/ Potatoes & Green Beans

 

6 T. olive oil

2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

3/4 lb. trimmed fresh green beans

8 small red potatoes, quartered

4 chicken breasts (bones in/ with skin)

–

Preheat oven 400 degrees F.

Coat large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with

1 T. olive oil. Arrange lemon slices in single layer

in bottom of dish or skillet. In large bowl, combine

remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepper; add

chicken, green beans & potatoes – toss to coat. Pour

mixture in pan; spread around evenly. Roast 50

minutes or until cooked through. Serve warm.

 

(recipe: Facebook)

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Skillet Potatoes with Bacon & Cheddar

 

4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 onion chopped

2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes (about 8), thinly sliced

1 C. shredded Cheddar cheese

6 T. sour cream

–

Cook & stir bacon in large nonstick skillet on medium

hieat until crisp. Remove from skillet with slotted spoon;

drain on paper towels. Discard all but 3 T. drippings from

skillet. Add onions to skillet; cook & stir 5 minutes. Stir

in potatoes; cover. Cook on medium-low heat 20-25

minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

Top with cheese & bacon; cook, covered, 1-2 minutes or

until cheese is melted. Serve topped with sour cream.

Serves 12, about 1/2 C. each

 

(recipe: Kraft foods)

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Zucchini Gratin

 

6 T. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter (plus extra

for topping

1 lb. yellow onions, cut in 1/2 & sliced (3 large)

2 lb. zucchini, sliced 1/4″ thick (4 zucchini)

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 T. flour

1 C. hot milk

3/4 C. fresh bread crumbs

3/4 C. grated Gruyere cheese

–

Preheat oven 400 degrees F.

Melt butter in very large (12 in) skillet; cook

onions over low heat 20 minutes or until tender,

but not browned. Add zucchini; cook, covered,

10 minutes or until tender. Add salt, pepper &

nutmeg; cook uncovered 5 more minuets. Stir in

flour, add hot milk & cook over low heat a few

minutes until it makes a sauce. Pour mixture into a

8 X 10 baking dish which has been sprayed with

nonstick spray. Combine  bread crumbs & cheese;

sprinkle on top of zucchini mixture. Dot with 1 T.

butter cut into small bits; bake 20 minutes or until

bubbly & browned. Serves 6

 

(recipe: Ina Garten – Food Network)

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Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

 

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, room temp

1 stick butter, room temp

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 (18 oz) box moist chocolate cake mix

confectioners sugar, for dusting

–

In large bowl, using elec. mixer, cream butter &

cream cheese until smooth; beat in egg. Add

vanilla & cake mix; beat well. Cover &

refrigerate 2 hours, to firm up to be able to

roll into balls.

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.

Roll chilled batter into tablespoon-sized balls,

then roll in confectioners sugar. Place on

ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake

12 minutes; cookies will be soft & ‘gooey’.

Cool completely. Makes 2 dozen cookies

 

(recipe: Food Network)

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Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Tomatoes &

Fresh Mozzarella

 

3 T. olive oil, plus extra for greasing grill pan

4 large portobello mushrooms (about 5 inches in

diameter), stemmed

salt & fresh ground black pepper

3 T. olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 small to medium-sized vine ripened tomatoes, cut

into 1/2 inch pieces

8 oz. fresh water-packed mozzarella, drained & cut into

1/2 inch cubes

1/4 C. chopped fresh basil leaves

–

Prepare barbecue to medium-high heat

Drizzle 3 T. olive oil over both sides of mushrooms

then sprinkle with salt & pepper. Drizzle olive oil on

grill pan to prevent mushrooms from sticking. Grill

until the mushrooms are heated through & tender,

about 5 minutes per side. Whisk olive oil & garlic

in medium bowl to blend. Add tomatoes, cheese &

basil; toss to coat. Season tomato salad with salt &

pepper. Place 1 hot grilled mushroom, gill-side up,

on each of 4 plates. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Spoon the tomato salad atop the mushrooms,

drizzling with olive oil to finish. Makes 4 servings.

 

(recipe: Food Network)

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Pan Roasted Corn

–

1 T. cooking oil

1 (16 oz) pkg frozen whole kernel corn

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

–

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high

heat. Add corn; cook 10-12 minutes or until corn

starts to brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in chili

powder, salt & pepper. Serves 4 (1/2 C. each)

 

(recipe: readyseteat!)

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Gooey Peach Cake

 

1 box yellow cake mix

(plus eggs, oil, water -as directed on box)

2 (16 oz, ea) cans sliced or diced peaches

1/2 C. brown sugar

1 T. corn starch

1/8 tsp. almond extract (optional)

sliced almonds (optional)

–

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.

In large bowl, mix cake batter as directed on box.

In small bowl, mix brown sugar & cornstarch until

well combined. In small nonstick skillet, heat peaches

in juice, breaking them up a little; add extract, brown

sugar mixture – stir until thickened. In ungreased

9 X 13 baking pan, pour batter. Drop peaches by

large spoonfuls over all of the batter. (If using

almonds, sprinkle them on at this point).

Bake 25-35 minutes. DO NOT overbake; it needs

to be a little gooey. Serve hot or cold, with ice

cream or milk. Makes 1 cake.

 

(recipe: Jane-justapinch.com)

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Well, that’s the scoop for today – really hoping it slows down around here, at least for awhile! I’m SO grateful to the Lord that my son is fine – you can always get another car.

Enjoy your day!

Hugs;

Pammie