Monday, December 27, 2010

Whoa! Where did the year go?

Time flies when you're having fun...we had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to the new year. The kids came over for dinner - they furnished a prime rib roast and I did all the fixings. Little Man was in very high spirits (!). We Toy Storyed him this year and he had a ball.


He got lots of stuff but the main event was a traveling Buzz Lightyear car that talked. Big Guy was too small to know what was going on, but he got a big blue frog with red feet that he kissed and hugged.

Dinner was very good - I tried to make pictures as I went, but SOMEBODY forgot to take pictures when the stuff came out of the oven. OOOOOPS! Daughter and I have a requirement for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals....stuffed mushrooms.  We have been making them for some time now, and they are improving every year. We change it a little every time, but they are always good.



Break the stems out of fresh mushrooms and chop finely.
Put the chopped stems in with a pound of raw breakfast sausage...we just use regular but you can use hot if you like.

To this, add shredded mozarella cheese and gorgonzola cheese crumbles. I usually add chopped green onions but I didn't have them, so I finely chopped regular onion and added that. Season with pepper, a little garlic powder and mix everything together.


Now. Here's where you have to use your imagination...at this point I got busy and didn't finish my pictures. I mix everything together with my hands. Use about a teaspoon or more of the filling to fill the hole in the mushroom cap. Mound it up a little so there is plenty of filling in each cap. Place the stuffed caps in a baking dish. If you have sausage mixture left after filling the caps, just make meatballs and place around the caps. Bake at 350 degrees until the sausage is done...it takes about 30 or 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and drain off any liquid. Grate fresh parmesean cheese over the hot mushrooms and meatballs. They are good hot or after they cool.

Last year I doubled the sausage mixture and froze the meatballs on a cookie sheet. When they were frozen solid I put them in a freezer bag. Hubby and I had them several times  - just pop however many you want in a small baking pan and bake frozen. You can use any kind of cheese, but we like the gorgonzola the best. If you don't have fresh parmesean you can sprinkle any kind of shredded cheese over them. They really are tasty.

I did manage to get a picture of my pumpkin cheesecake. I also made a pecan pie, coconut cream pie, hot rolls, greenbean bundles, corn pudding and scalloped potatoes.


The cheesecake couldn't have come out any more perfect. I had enough filling to bake the neighbor one too.

I hope everybody had a good Christmas...now we're thinking about a New Year's get together...black eyed peas, pork and turnips, greens and cornbread. It's gonna be chili tonight, it goes very well with 18 degree weather.

Have a great day!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Fried Catfish!

We wanted something a little different for supper last night...Hubby's Mom sent home some catfish steaks so I thawed them out and fried them. Boy were they good! I didn't have any coating mix, so I made my own. I put a couple of cups of yellow cornmeal in the food processer, put a good bit of Cajun seasoning in it and processed it until it turned into corn flour.


When we got ready to eat, I heated up the deep fryer, dredged the fish steaks in the seasoned corn flour and dropped them in the hot grease.


When the grease is right, the fish drop to the bottom and then start to come up to the top. I don't stir them around until they start to brown...the coating stays on the fish better. When the pieces float they are done. Remove and drain well, put on a flat pan covered with newspaper and paper towels and place in a warm (180 degree) oven. Don't crowd the pan - it needs to be done about 5 pieces at a time.



When the last of the fish was cooked, I coated cut up potatoes with the seasoned corn flour and fried them in the fish grease. SOOOOO Good!

We had slaw, onion and pickles with the fish and potatoes and pralines for dessert. Make you slap your pappy!

Looking rainy (or snowy) outside today...white Christmas maybe???

Little Man stayed with me a while yesterday so Mom could get her candy made. He took every candy cane off the tree except for the 3 he couldn't reach. He has a rider truck toy with a storage compartment as the seat. He put all the candy canes in it and rode all over the house. I thought he would probably forget about the candy canes and I would put them back on the tree when he left. When daughter came to get him they started to leave and he ran over to the truck, got all the candy canes out and put them in the bag he brought his toys in. So, my tree is naked. I should have known something as important as candy canes would not have been forgotten.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Cheater Chicken and Dumplings

Stew a whole chicken or whatever parts you want to use in water to generously cover. Put some leafy celery stalks, onion and sage leaves in the pot. Salt and pepper to taste.


Cook until the chicken is done - when the leg joints move easily. Remove from the broth and strain the broth . I just put the cooked chicken in a bowl to cool enough to handle. I strain the broth from the cooking pot to a clean stock pot.


When the chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove the bones and gristle. Add heavy cream or half and half, or even evaporated milk, about a cup. Now the cheat part....cut flour tortillas in strips and let sit out to dry a little. (These are the dumplings).



When you are ready to eat, drop a couple of strips into boiling broth and let them cook until they disintegrate. This will thicken the broth. Add the pulled chicken. This is very important....it only takes a few minutes to cook the dumplings. If they cook too long, they just "melt". I drop them in the very hot broth and move the pot off the burner.  You are now done with the dumplings.



Now for the good part - Wilted Lettuce!


Cut up lettuce, onion and tomatoes in a good sized bowl. Sprinkle with pepper, about a tablespoon of sugar and drizzle with a little vinegar. Mix the salad up and let sit until the lettuce has wilted.


In a small skillet on the stove, put a tablespoon or so of bacon drippings and heat until it is smoking.

Pour quickly over the salad, stirring as you pour. It should sizzle and pop. This needs to be made at the very last minute and served warm. Cornbread is perfect with this meal.

We ate like little piggies!

My daughter and son-in-law graduate from college this evening. She has earned 2 degrees and he has 1. What is amazing about this - to me - is that they were married 3 days and daughter left for Iraq. She served a year, during which time she could only visit her new husband by phone or mail. When she came home, she had Little Man, then son went to Iraq for a year.

When son finally got home, they started school. Both had a full college schedule, both worked full time, and both were in the National Guard. Then came Big Guy.

With two babies, college, jobs and the Guard, I don't know how they survived. Hubby and I are so proud of them both. They have struggled and worked and tried very hard to make a good future possible for their family. They have achieved much in their time together.

Have a blessed day!



Monday, December 13, 2010

Brrrrrr!

It is SO cold....I made cheapo stew with ground beef and it carried us through the weekend. It's been down in the teens early in the mornings. We worked on our kitchen all weekend so we didn't have to be out in the weather except to go to the grocery store.

We finally got the bar cleaned off (our construction catchall), turned on the fireplace and the TV and had a pan of cornbread with our stew. All I had in the freezer was ground beef and chicken, so Hubby chose the ground beef. It simmered the better part of the afternoon and really smelled good.

Before...

After....

It's beginning to look like a kitchen again. I am grouting today and now will have a place to set a hot dish and a place to prep my food. WOW it's been a long time! We still have a long, long way to go but we're getting there.

Wish us luck and have a great day!



Thursday, December 9, 2010

MMMMM....Pralines!

Finally got in the kitchen and made a batch of pralines - much to Hubby's delight (and mine).


The recipe is very simple:

2 cups packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pecan halves, toasted and cooled
a very small pinch of salt, just a few grains

Put the brown sugar, butter and cream and salt in a heavy saucepan.



Cook over medium to medium low heat, stirring until the mixture boils. Place a candy thermometer on the pan and cook mixture until it reaches soft ball stage...about 236 degrees.


The mixture will have a fine, even boil. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 to 8 minutes. Add the pecans and vanilla.



Beat the mixture by hand (I use a large bamboo spoon) until lit begins to thicken and lose it's gloss. It only takes a few minutes.



Working quickly, drop by spoonfuls on buttered waxed paper or parchment paper. I used parchment paper sprayed with butter flavor no-stick spray.

The trick to this is not to beat the mixture too long. They should be creamy and delicate. If it is beaten too long, they will still taste good, but they will become a little hard. That's why I make several batches before I send the candy to the neighbors...I can get a feel of when they have been beaten enough.

This was my Dad's recipe and he could make the creamiest pralines. He worked at the courthouse and every year made huge batches of fudge and pralines to take to his co-workers. That was when the "million dollar fudge" came out - with marshmallow cream and milk chocolate. He always stuck with it every year.

Got to go get my soup started...it's very cold and Hubby requested vegetable beef stew and cornbread for supper.

Have a warm, sweet day!



Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Sparkleball!


This SO does not do justice to this sparkleball. I had to turn off the flash so you could see the effect...we have five of them across the front of the house. Hubby hung them up with bungee cords, so when the wind is blowing they sway. This one is about the size of a small beach ball. It's made with plastic cups, zip ties and a string of lights.

Little Man and Big Guy were with us last night and while Big Guy was sleeping Little Man wanted to go outside to see the balls. He didn't have a coat here, so I got a sweatshirt, folded the arms up and put it on him. It came down to his shoes and was a little goofy looking, but he didn't care. He said "Granny Honey it's bootiful". He really liked the tree inside too. He hasn't found the candy canes yet.

We had baked pork steak and cooked cabbage for supper last night. It was soooo good. We're going to have chili tonight in honor of the cold weather. It's about time to practice on some pralines...that may be an afternoon project. They don't last long...I should just glue them to my hips because that's where they end up anyway.

Daughter and son-in-law celebrated their anniversary yesterday and went to see the new Harry Potter at IMAX. I can't wait to see it, though I will probably have to wait until it comes out on TV. Daughter got me hooked on the books and I really enjoyed reading them. Hubby can't stand watching the movies on TV but I watch them every time they come on.

Stay warm and have a great day!


Tuesday, December 7, 2010

WOW! Finally...

we got started on the kitchen! This has been a slow, slow process but for the first time in a long time I have a counter to work on! This is the wall we cut out.



Hubby moved the stove and outlets and paneled.


Stove moved down and one cabinet in. We still have to trim out the opening and put in the floor. That's my job. Can;t wait to get started! We are getting one thing done at a time but after 2 years we are tickled to pieces to be able to do that.

I still have to tile the top of the cabinet and install knobs and such...that's a good daytime job for me.

We put our Christmas lights out (on the coldest day there was) and I put the tree up inside. It's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate! I made 4 sparkleballs this year to hang outside. My Mother-in-law sent us one several years back and I found instructions on the internet. If you don't know what they are just Google sparkleball and have a look. At night they look like giant twinkles. I'll see if I can get a night picture and post it.

I'm starting to get the Christmas spirit! Have a great day!



Thursday, December 2, 2010

Madame Crapsalot




This is Lucy. Better known now as Madame Crapsalot. She crapsalot. She peesalot too. We couldn't stand it any more...too quiet around the house. Nobody to talk to because Sally, our other Boston, sleeps all day. She rouses about time for the mail to run, gets a treat and goes back to bed. She positively does not like cold weather and stays covered up under a blanket.

Lucy thinks Sally is her new best friend. She lunges, hops, circles and gets the rips when she plays with Sally. Then she passes out until her energy is restored. I must say, she is a lot of company. Plus worth a good laugh or two.

I made a pot of chili the other day when it got so cold and last night we had killer chili dogs. Still stretching the groceries...we have a freezer full of hot dogs that were bought on sale. They come in handy occasionally.

Hubby and I made a half batch of salsa a few weeks ago - specially for his friend who likes hot stuff. I used my recipe, only replaced the jalapeno peppers with habanero peppers. While it was cooking, the fumes burned our eyes and a taste test stayed with me all afternoon. We gave a jar to son in law and the rest to Hubby's friend.  Friend thanked Hubby and later told him it was really good....just not hot enough. I nearly fell over. His mouth must be lined with asbestos.

The habanero plant was the last plant left from the garden and we picked it before it frosted. We got a three gallon bucket full of them. They ripened at different time on the cabinet so we were able to share plenty and freeze some.

It's about time to start candy making. Daughter has told me some of the stuff she's doing and it sounds wonderful. I got my praline recipe down pat last year and they are very, very good. My dear friend in Missouri sent me a gallon of native pecans (the small, very tasty ones) and 2 quarts of Mexican vanilla which I shared with Daughter. My in-laws also sent another 2 gallons, so I have plenty for lots of goodies. I have just about talked myself into making something sweet.

Have a wonderful day and count your blessings!



Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Been a long, long time...

Mostly I've been feeling sorry for myself...we've had so many life changes recently that it really slapped me and Hubby in the face.

I am no longer on food stamps and while I really ought to change my blog name, I still think it's kinda snappy, so we will just have to pretend. I still coupon, I still shop for sales, and I still try to live frugally.

Hubby's Grandmother passed away - it was a terrible loss for him. I was unable to make the trip "home" to be with him and the family. She was a feisty little lady who raised him and they were very close until Altzheimer's disease took over her life. She spent the last years of her 96 year long life in a nursing home, unable to recognize her own family.

The first weekend Hubby was back we had to euthanize our 14 year old Boston Terrier, Suzy...we had her since she was 8 weeks old and it was devestating to both of us. She was truly a member of the family.

I am now officially disabled - having been through a barrage of doctors and waiting patiently on Uncle Sam. It is nice to have our income stabilized, but alas, no more food stamps. I guess that's a good thing.

My grandchildren are growing like weeds...Big Guy can pull himself up now, and Little Man can hold a decent conversation on the phone. Speaking of...I found a link to a web site where you can make a video message from Santa to your child or grandchild. http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/home is the site...easy to follow instructions and it's FREE! I made one for Little Man and sent it to daughter's computer. Check it out...there are no "catches". If you want a permanent copy you have to pay for that - otherwise you can view it as much as you wish.

After spending so much time trying to get my priorities straight and being down in the dumps, I decided it was time to get my act together. Soooo....we had new windows installed, painted the outside of the house, tore down the old raised garden beds, trimmed all the bushes and just spiffied things up a little. We are about to - TA DA - start on the kitchen. It has been a long time coming.

Thank you for your comments and concern. I have truly missed visiting with you....that's how I think of this. I promise to do better!

P.S. You will notice a new widget...Retail Me Not...on the right of the page. This site has super savings and coupon codes for just about anything. It is searchable and free!